“Psychological PPE”: Promote Healthcare Workforce Mental Health and Well-Being
Evidence-based recommendations for “psychological PPE” (protection and support for the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce) are intended for use by healthcare staff providing care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
- Specific recommendations for individual and system-level actions owned by unit and team leaders that provide protection and support for healthcare workforce mental health and well-being
- For each recommendation, actionable examples and evidence in the literature
- A visual graphic that can be displayed as a reference to create the enabling conditions for key recommendations
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues with healthcare professional burnout and workforce well-being and joy in work that will persist.
There is significant interest in healthcare in the concept of “psychological PPE” (personal protective equipment) — individual and system-level actions owned by unit and team leaders that provide protection and support for staff’s mental health that can be deployed both before providing care and after a shift has ended.
IHI reviewed available evidence for interventions that can help protect staff mental health in the face of extreme working conditions such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and previous pandemics. We synthesized this research into evidence-based “psychological PPE” recommendations for use by staff providing care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The accompanying visual graphic is designed to be posted for staff to see and use daily, and for team leaders to reference and use to create the enabling conditions for key recommendations to be successful.
Download "Psychological PPE" Tool
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