MENTAL HEALTH IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS: CURRENT CHALLENGES, INTERVENTIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Health care workers (HCW) experience unprecedented levels of mental health problems including high levels of burnout on a global scale. This narrative review provides an overview of the mental health of HCWs, discusses major challenges, and reviews existing interventions to support HCWs with the aim of presenting potential intentional future approaches to safeguard this vulnerable workforce. Findings suggest that 46 % of healthcare workers are experiencing burnout at a significant, distressing level, and that there have been dramatic increases in anxiety, depression, and turnover intentions since 2018. These risk factors can be targeted through evidence-based interventions such as workplace-level interventions, peer support programs and digital mental health solutions, but their uptake has been variable. Implications for the future are highlighted: the development of policy, the need for sustainable funding mechanisms and the integration of MH support into health system infrastructure. The review underlines the desperate requirement for systemic solutions to what is now a global public health issue impacting health care delivery across the globe.