From the Guidelines
Healthcare workers should prioritize building a strong personal support system to maintain their well-being and prevent burnout, as evidenced by recent studies 1. This support system should include connections with family, friends, colleagues, and mental health professionals who can provide emotional support, practical assistance, and perspective during challenging times.
- Key components of a personal support system include:
- Regular check-ins with support people
- Participation in peer support groups
- Establishing mentoring relationships within healthcare settings
- Scheduling regular social activities
- Creating boundaries between work and personal life
- Being willing to ask for help when needed These support systems work by providing emotional validation, offering different perspectives on challenges, creating opportunities to process difficult experiences, and reminding healthcare workers of their identity beyond their professional role, as suggested by a recent consensus report 1. The neurobiological benefits of a strong personal support system include stress hormone regulation, improved immune function, and activation of reward pathways that counter the effects of chronic workplace stress, which is critical for healthcare workers who are at high risk of burnout, moral injury, and posttraumatic stress disorder 1. Healthcare organizations and supervisors should also prioritize the well-being of healthcare workers by providing early identification of individuals exhibiting signs of depression, anxiety, and stress reactions, addressing sources of moral distress or injury, and promoting joy and safety in clinical work, as recommended by a recent study 1.
From the Research
Impact of Personal Support System on Healthcare Workers
- A personal support system can have a positive impact on healthcare workers' well-being, as evidenced by the implementation of peer support programs such as the RISE program 2 and the Care for Caregivers (CFC) Program 3.
- These programs provide emotional support, reduce burnout, and promote resilience among healthcare workers, which can lead to improved job satisfaction, reduced turnover, and enhanced patient care.
- The effectiveness of personal support systems can be attributed to the provision of a safe and supportive environment, where healthcare workers can share their experiences and receive support from their peers 2, 3.
- Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) have also been shown to improve the well-being of healthcare workers, with mindfulness-based and gratitude-based interventions being the most commonly evaluated 4.
- Emotional support programs and interventions can help healthcare workers cope with the traumatic experiences and stressors associated with pandemics such as COVID-19, and can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and burnout 5.
Key Factors Influencing Healthcare Workers' Well-being
- Job demands, such as workload, and personal demands, such as loneliness, can negatively impact healthcare workers' well-being 6.
- Organizational support and personal resources, such as resilience, can mitigate the negative effects of job demands and promote well-being 6.
- Burnout is a significant mediator of the relationship between job demands and well-being, and reducing burnout is crucial to improving healthcare workers' well-being 6.
- Healthcare organizations can invest in reducing workloads, promoting resilience, and providing emotional support to reduce burnout and increase healthcare worker well-being 2, 3, 6.