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. 2022 Jul:95:102173.
doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102173. Epub 2022 May 24.

Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies

Mariah Curtin  1 , Helen L Richards  2 , Donal G Fortune  3
Affiliations

Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies

Mariah Curtin et al. Clin Psychol Rev. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need to attend to Health Care Workers (HCWs) mental health. What promotes resilience in HCWs during pandemics is largely unknown.

Aim: To appraise and synthesize studies investigating resilience among HCWs during COVID-19, H1N1, MERS, EBOLA and SARS pandemics.

Method: A systematic review of studies from 2002 to 11th March 2022 was conducted. PsychInfo, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for qualitative and mixed-methods studies investigating the well-being of HCWs working in hospital settings during a pandemic. Data was extracted, imported into NVivo and analyzed by means of thematic synthesis. Reporting followed PRISMA and ENTREQ guidelines.

Results: One hundred and twenty-one eligible studies (N = 11,907) were identified. The results revealed six main themes underpinning HCWs resilience: moral purpose and duty, connections, collaboration, organizational culture, character and potential for growth.

Conclusion: The studies reviewed indicated that HCWs resilience is mainly born out of their professional identity, collegial support, effective communication from supportive leaders along with flexibility to engage in self-care and experiences of growth.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health care workers; Mental health; Pandemic; Resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors (MC, HLR, DGF) declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart illustrating the search strategy and paper selection process.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overview of meta-synthesis themes and subthemes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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