. 2024 Jul;97(5):485-522.

doi: 10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z. Epub 2024 May 2.

The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

Birgit Aust¹, Caleb Leduc², Johanna Cresswell-Smith³, Clíodhna O'Brien⁴, Reiner Rugulies^{5

6}, Mallorie Leduc⁴, Doireann Ni Dhalaigh⁴, Arilda Dushaj⁷, Naim Fanaj^{8

9}, Daniel Guinart^{10

11

12}, Margaret Maxwell¹³, Hanna Reich^{14

15}, Victoria Ross¹⁶, Anvar Sadath⁴, Katharina Schnitzspahn¹⁷, Mónika Ditta Tóth¹⁸, Chantal van Audenhove^{19

20}, Jaap van Weeghel²¹, Kristian Wahlbeck³, Ella Arensman^{2

4

16}, Birgit A Greiner²; MENTUPP consortium members

Collaborators, Affiliations

Collaborators

MENTUPP consortium members:
Ainslie O'Connor, Ana Moreno-Alcázar, Andia Meksi, Andras Szekely, Anthony LaMontagne, Ariel Como, Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, Asmae Doukani, Azucena Justicia, Benedikt Amann, Bridget Hogg, Charlotte Paterson, Chris Lockwood, David McDaid, Eva Zsak, Eve Griffin, Evelien Coppens, Fotini Tsantila, Genc Burazeri, Gentiana Qirjako, György Purebl, Ilinca Serbanescu, Jeroen Luyten, Joe Eustace, Joseph Kilroy, Juan Carlos Medina Alcaraz, Juliane Hug, Kairi Kõlves, Kahar Abdulla, Karen Michell, Karen Mulcahy, Katherine Thomson, Lars de Winter, Laura Cox, Lia van der Ham, Luigia D'Alessandro, Marta Fontana, Nicola Reavley, Peter Trembeczky, Pia Driessen, Pia Hauck, Paul Corcoran, Rebecca Lohmann-Devantier, Saara Rapeli, Sarah Ihinonvien, Sevim Mustafa, Stefan Hackel, Susan Alexander, Tanya King, Ulrich Hegerl, Vanda Scott, Wendy Orchard

Affiliations

¹ National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark. bma@nfa.dk.
² School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
³ Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
⁴ National Suicide Research Foundation, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
⁵ National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Community Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Tirana, Albania.
⁸ Per Mendje Te Shendoshe (PMSH), Prizren, Kosovo.
⁹ Alma Mater Europaea Campus Rezonanca, Pristina, Kosovo.
¹⁰ CIBERSAM, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
¹¹ Institut de Salut Mental, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
¹² The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, USA.
¹³ Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland.
¹⁴ German Foundation for Depression and Suicide Prevention, Leipzig, Germany.
¹⁵ Depression Research Centre of the German Depression Foundation, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
¹⁶ Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
¹⁷ European Alliance Against Depression, Frankfurt, Germany.
¹⁸ Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
¹⁹ KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium.
²⁰ Center for Care Research and Consultancy, LUCAS, Louvain, Belgium.
²¹ Tranzo Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

PMID: 38695906
PMCID: PMC11130054
DOI: 10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z

The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

Birgit Aust et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2024 Jul.

. 2024 Jul;97(5):485-522.

doi: 10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z. Epub 2024 May 2.

Authors

Collaborators

MENTUPP consortium members:
Ainslie O'Connor, Ana Moreno-Alcázar, Andia Meksi, Andras Szekely, Anthony LaMontagne, Ariel Como, Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, Asmae Doukani, Azucena Justicia, Benedikt Amann, Bridget Hogg, Charlotte Paterson, Chris Lockwood, David McDaid, Eva Zsak, Eve Griffin, Evelien Coppens, Fotini Tsantila, Genc Burazeri, Gentiana Qirjako, György Purebl, Ilinca Serbanescu, Jeroen Luyten, Joe Eustace, Joseph Kilroy, Juan Carlos Medina Alcaraz, Juliane Hug, Kairi Kõlves, Kahar Abdulla, Karen Michell, Karen Mulcahy, Katherine Thomson, Lars de Winter, Laura Cox, Lia van der Ham, Luigia D'Alessandro, Marta Fontana, Nicola Reavley, Peter Trembeczky, Pia Driessen, Pia Hauck, Paul Corcoran, Rebecca Lohmann-Devantier, Saara Rapeli, Sarah Ihinonvien, Sevim Mustafa, Stefan Hackel, Susan Alexander, Tanya King, Ulrich Hegerl, Vanda Scott, Wendy Orchard

Affiliations

¹ National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark. bma@nfa.dk.
² School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
³ Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
⁴ National Suicide Research Foundation, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
⁵ National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Community Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Tirana, Albania.
⁸ Per Mendje Te Shendoshe (PMSH), Prizren, Kosovo.
⁹ Alma Mater Europaea Campus Rezonanca, Pristina, Kosovo.
¹⁰ CIBERSAM, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
¹¹ Institut de Salut Mental, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
¹² The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, USA.
¹³ Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland.
¹⁴ German Foundation for Depression and Suicide Prevention, Leipzig, Germany.
¹⁵ Depression Research Centre of the German Depression Foundation, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
¹⁶ Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
¹⁷ European Alliance Against Depression, Frankfurt, Germany.
¹⁸ Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
¹⁹ KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium.
²⁰ Center for Care Research and Consultancy, LUCAS, Louvain, Belgium.
²¹ Tranzo Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

PMID: 38695906
PMCID: PMC11130054
DOI: 10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z

Abstract

Objective: To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them into six organisational intervention types for narrative synthesis. Only controlled studies with at least one follow-up were eligible.

Results: We identified 22 studies (23 articles) mainly conducted in hospitals with 16 studies rated of strong or moderate methodological quality. More than two thirds (68%) of the studies reported improvements in at least one primary outcome (mental wellbeing, burnout, stress, symptoms of depression or anxiety), most consistently in burnout with eleven out of thirteen studies. We found a strong level of evidence for the intervention type "Job and task modifications" and a moderate level of evidence for the types "Flexible work and scheduling" and "Changes in the physical work environment". For all other types, the level of evidence was insufficient. We found no studies conducted with an independent SME, however five studies with SMEs attached to a larger organisational structure. The effectiveness of workplace mental health interventions in these SMEs was mixed.

Conclusion: Organisational interventions in healthcare workers can be effective in improving mental health, especially in reducing burnout. Intervention types where the change in the work environment constitutes the intervention had the highest level of evidence. More research is needed for SMEs and for healthcare workers other than hospital-based physicians and nurses.

Keywords: Burnout; Effectiveness; Job stress intervention; Small-to-medium size enterprise; Wellbeing; Workplace mental health intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

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The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

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The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

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