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López-Del-Hoyo Y, Fernández-Martínez S, Pérez-Aranda A, Barceló-Soler A, Bani M, Russo S, Urcola-Pardo F, Strepparava MG, García-Campayo J. Effects of eHealth interventions on stress reduction and mental health promotion in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. J Clin Nurs 2023; 32:5514-5533. [PMID: 36703266 DOI: 10.1111/jocn.16634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of eHealth interventions to reduce stress and promote mental health in healthcare professionals, and to compare the efficacy of different types of programs (guided vs. self-guided; 'third-wave' psychotherapies vs. other types). BACKGROUND Healthcare workers present high levels of stress, which constitutes a risk factor for developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. eHealth interventions have been designed to reduce these professional's stress considering that the characteristics of this delivery method make it a cost-effective and very appealing alternative because of its fast and easy access. DESIGN A systematic review of quantitative studies. METHODS A comprehensive database search for quantitative studies was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane (until 1 April 2022). The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and SWiM reporting guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute tools. RESULTS The abstracts of 6349 articles were assessed and 60 underwent in-depth review, with 27 fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The interventions were classified according to their format (self-guided vs. guided) and contents ('third-wave' psychotherapies vs. others). Twenty-two interventions emerged, 13 of which produced significant posttreatment reductions in stress levels of health professionals (9 self-guided, 8 'third wave' psychotherapies). Significant effects in improving depressive symptomatology, anxiety, burnout, resilience and mindfulness, amongst others, were also found. CONCLUSION The evidence gathered in this review highlights the heterogeneity of the eHealth interventions that have been studied; self-guided and 'third-wave' psychotherapy programs are the most common, often with promising results, although the methodological shortcomings of most studies hinder the extraction of sound conclusions. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42022310199. No Patient or Public Contribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda López-Del-Hoyo
- Institute of Health Research of Aragon (IIS Aragón), Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
- Research Network on Chronicity, Primary Care and Health Promotion (RICAPPS) RD21/0016/0005, Zaragoza, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Selene Fernández-Martínez
- Institute of Health Research of Aragon (IIS Aragón), Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Adrián Pérez-Aranda
- Institute of Health Research of Aragon (IIS Aragón), Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
- Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Alberto Barceló-Soler
- Institute of Health Research of Aragon (IIS Aragón), Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
- Navarra Medical Research Institute (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Marco Bani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Selena Russo
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Fernando Urcola-Pardo
- Department of Physiatry and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Research Group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragon, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Maria Grazia Strepparava
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
- Clinical Unit "Psicologia Clinica", Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
| | - Javier García-Campayo
- Institute of Health Research of Aragon (IIS Aragón), Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
- Research Network on Chronicity, Primary Care and Health Promotion (RICAPPS) RD21/0016/0005, Zaragoza, Spain
- Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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Mavragani A, Knott B, Hodyl N, Horton G, Walker FR, Nilsson M. Medical Student Experiences of Engaging in a Psychological Flexibility Skill Training App for Burnout and Well-being: Pilot Feasibility Study. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e43263. [PMID: 36626191 PMCID: PMC9874998 DOI: 10.2196/43263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical students are at higher risk of burnout than the general population. Interventions that facilitate adaptive coping behaviors (eg, Psychological Flexibility) in the context of inherent stressors associated with medical training could mitigate burnout risk and improve well-being. Delivering these interventions using smartphone apps offers advantages such as accessibility, scalability, mitigation of time and stigma barriers, and facilitation of individual tailoring (individualization). There is a need for feasibility trials with medical students in this emerging field. Formal evaluations of user experiences of app-based psychological skill training are required to identify barriers to and facilitators of engagement and optimize intervention development before implementation in efficacy trials and real-world settings. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering an individualized Psychological Flexibility skill training intervention (Acceptance and Commitment Training [ACTraining]) to medical students using an app-based delivery format. We further aimed to explore how formal evaluation of user experiences might inform and guide the development of this app before implementation in an efficacy trial and future research involving app-delivered psychological skill training for medical students. METHODS This single-arm study was an early-phase feasibility trial of a stand-alone ACTraining app conducted with a sample of Australian medical students (n=11). We collected app usability and user experience data across a broad range of domains (eg, perceived helpfulness and relevance, learning experiences, and self-efficacy) using self-report questionnaires (quantitative and qualitative) and behavioral engagement outcomes. RESULTS Behavioral engagement data demonstrated that the app delivered the assessment procedures and individualized ACTraining intervention to medical students as intended. The subjective feedback provided by students who actively engaged with the app was generally positive across several indicators, including usability, perceived relevance and helpfulness, accessibility, maintenance of privacy, and opportunity for self-reflection. Disengagement from the app was an identified challenge throughout the trial. Participant feedback identified several factors that may have affected engagement, such as time, expectations regarding app interface functioning, and individual differences in confidence and self-efficacy when implementing skills. CONCLUSIONS This study reports user experience data that have been largely absent from the literature on digital psychological interventions for medical students. Our findings demonstrate the preliminary feasibility of an app-delivered ACTraining intervention for medical student well-being and burnout and support the value of future assessment of the efficacy of this approach with larger samples. We consider subjective feedback from medical students in relation to observed engagement and propose how this information might be used to inform the development of this app and future research in this nascent field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nicolette Hodyl
- Centre for Rehab Innovations, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Australia.,New South Wales Regional Health Partners, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Graeme Horton
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Frederick Rohan Walker
- Centre for Rehab Innovations, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Australia.,College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Michael Nilsson
- Centre for Rehab Innovations, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Australia.,College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singaport, Singapore
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Tement S, Ketiš ZK, Miroševič Š, Selič-Zupančič P. The Impact of Psychological Interventions with Elements of Mindfulness (PIM) on Empathy, Well-Being, and Reduction of Burnout in Physicians: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111181. [PMID: 34769700 PMCID: PMC8582910 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Physician’s burnout has been recognized as an increasing and significant work-related syndrome, described by the combination of emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (D), together with low personal accomplishment (PA). It has many negative consequences on personal, organizational, and patient care levels. This systematic review aimed to analyze research articles where psychological interventions with elements of mindfulness (PIMs) were used to support physicians in order to reduce burnout and foster empathy and well-being. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in May 2019, within six electronic databases PubMed, EBSCOhost MEDLINE, PsycArticles, Cochrane Library, JSTOR, and Slovenian national library information system. Different combinations of boolean operators were used—mindfulness, empathy, medicine/family medicine/general practice/primary care, burnout, doctors/physicians, intervention, and support group. Additional articles were manually searched from the reference list of the included articles. Studies with other healthcare professionals (not physicians and residents) and/or medical students, and those where PIMs were applied for educational or patient’s treatment purposes were excluded. Results: Of 1194 studies identified, 786 screened and 139 assessed for eligibility, there were 18 studies included in this review. Regardless of a specific type of PIMs applied, results, in general, demonstrate a positive impact on empathy, well-being, and reduction in burnout in participating physicians. Compared with other recent systematic reviews, this is unique due to a broader selection of psychological interventions and emphasis on a sustained effect measurement. Conclusions: Given the pandemic of COVID-19, it is of utmost importance that this review includes also interventions based on modern information technologies (mobile apps) and can be used as an awareness-raising material for physicians providing information about feasible and easily accessible interventions for effective burnout prevention and/or reduction. Future research should upgrade self-reported data with objective psychological measures and address the question of which intervention offers more benefits to physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Tement
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Maribor, Taborska 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia; (S.T.); (Z.K.K.)
| | - Zalika Klemenc Ketiš
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Maribor, Taborska 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia; (S.T.); (Z.K.K.)
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Ljubljana, Poljanski Nasip 58, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Community Healthcare Centre Ljubljana, Primary Healthcare Research and Development Institute (IRROZ), Metelkova 9, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Špela Miroševič
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Ljubljana, Poljanski Nasip 58, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Polona Selič-Zupančič
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Ljubljana, Poljanski Nasip 58, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Community Healthcare Centre Ljubljana, Primary Healthcare Research and Development Institute (IRROZ), Metelkova 9, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University Maribor, Taborska 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Correspondence:
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Work Stress, Mental Health and Validation of Professional Stress Scale (PSS) in an Italian-Speaking Teachers Sample. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9111434. [PMID: 34828481 PMCID: PMC8622044 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9111434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed validate the Italian version of the Professional Stress Scale (PSS). A questionnaire was translated into Italian and administered to two sample groups. The first group (n = 200) was the control group and the second (n = 1137) the experimental group. The participants in the study were students enrolled in a special needs training teacher course or a specialization course that aims to train support teachers. The study conducted two analyses; factor and reliability analyses. The factor analysis utilized the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test which had a result of 0.925 for the scale; this was above the acceptable value of 0.7. The research studied 33 items and the BTS was significant for the 33 items scale (χ2 (528) = 4353.508, p < 0.001). Moreover, five eigenvalues greater than 1 were identified in the data, whereas the total variance explained was 63.7%. The reliability test utilized the Cronbach’s Alpha score (0.936) of the scale and the value is calculated based on the response of 1106 individuals. The value is well above the value of 0.80, which indicates a high internal consistency level of the different items of the scale. This study showed that the Italian version of the PSS is a reliable and valid measure that can be used for research and clinical purposes.
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