key: cord-0813000-qrlwk84d
authors: Su, Ju-Chuan; Shen, Lih-Jong; Chen, Hsiu-Chin
title: Maintaining Mental Health Among Medical Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Taiwan’s Experience
date: 2020-09-07
journal: J Formos Med Assoc
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2020.08.049
sha: be071ca6458af581a621e548bb6552a28137b1e9
doc_id: 813000
cord_uid: qrlwk84d

nan

• Establish a team to support the mental health of medical staff as soon as national reports are made in order to ensure an early response. The task force should be led by an executive administrator in charge of coordination and communication between departments. The task force should be multidisciplinary and include physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, social workers, etc.

• The mission of the task force is to identify the needs of medical staff and provide the necessary support to reduce stress 3 . should also be provided.

• Clear messages, rationale and guidance for evolving standards of practice should be relayed, along with up-to-date, evolving recommendations for supporting staff. To manage the high volume of information, short videos can be made to communicate the policies of pandemic management, ensuring that the information is communicated in a way that is easily understandable and visually attractive.

• Provide pandemic updates for all staff. Medical staff should be informed if there are any confirmed COVID-19 cases currently being treated at the hospital, while also protecting patient privacy, to prevent the spread of misinformation and subsequent panic.

• The mental and physical health of medical staff should be considered equally. An online reporting platform and screening algorithm could be established for staff to self-report their physical and mental statuses, on duty or at home. Further evaluation is used to assess the impact of stress, as well as psychological needs.

• Medical staff need to report their body temperature and any COVID-19 symptoms daily using the online platform. Furthermore, their mental health status need to be reported weekly as well.

• An effort should be made to recognize high-risk staff members. Staff members who may experience increased risk of poor mental health include those working at the emergency department, quarantine units, and dedicated epidemic clinics or janitors. If necessary, relaxation technique training can be provided to help staff members manage stress and improve sleep quality 1.3 .

• Establish a hotline that allows medical staff rapid access to psychosocial assessment, counselling services, and psychiatric evaluation or treatment. Contingency plans for temporary time off work can be discussed and arranged 3 .

• Provide unit managers the guidelines for debriefing and assessing the needs of staff members.

• Medical staff who have a body temperature above 38°C or show COVID-19 symptoms need to stop their duties. They will be quickly arranged to be assessed by a physician and receive a coronavirus test. Before resuming their work, the medical staff must have a negative coronavirus test result and display no fever related symptoms without any medication for at least 24 hours.

• Provide staff members with 24-hour free access to food and beverages by partnering with 24hour businesses and rest facilities.

• Provide formal and informal psychological support from psychologists to help medical staff deal with stress 3 .

• Support staff quarantined at home remotely to alleviate loneliness, keep in touch with the team, and provide up-to-date information on the situation at the hospital. There should be an emphasis on encouraging them to contact friends and family via the mobile phone or online 1 .

• Ensuring a sufficient stockpile of PPE is one of the most critical tasks for hospital administrators to reassure medical staff on duty. The hospital administration has the responsibility to distribute the PPE reasonably 1 .

• The executive hospital administrators should personally visit the frontline staff to attend to their needs and show gratitude with a reward, as a way to honor their hard work.

Hospital administrators should strive to support their medical staff's mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Early intervention is key to preparing staff for a task associated with tremendous challenges. Effective leadership and managerial support for medical staff will be instrumental in the prevention of negative psychological outcomes. As the current pandemic continues to evolve, we believe that our model can help hospital administrators develop strategies that are feasible, effective, and sustainable in daily practice to maintain mental health among medical staff. 

Mental health care for medical staff and affiliated healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Understanding and addressing sources of anxiety among health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mental health problems faced by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic-a review