Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021 Nov;36(11):1748-1758. doi: 10.1002/gps.5596. Epub 2021 Jul 9.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on older adults mental health care. Our study aimed to explore staff perspectives on key challenges and innovations in order to help inform the delivery of older adults mental health care in subsequent waves of the pandemic.
A mixed methods online questionnaire developed by National Institute for Health Research Mental Health Policy Research Unit was used to gather staff perspectives on their challenges at work, problems faced by service users and their carers, and sources of help and support. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative analysis and descriptive content analysis for qualitative analysis.
158 participants, working in either community or inpatient settings, and from a range of professional disciplines, were included. For inpatient staff, a significant challenge was infection control. In the community, staff identified a lack of access to physical and social care as well as reduced contact with friends and families as being challenges for patients. Remote working was seen as a positive innovation along with COVID-19 related guidance from various sources and peer support.
Our study, with a focus on staff and patient well-being, helps to inform service development for future waves of the pandemic. We discuss measures to improve infection control in inpatient settings, the role of voluntary organisations in supporting socially isolated community patients, the need for better integration of physical and mental health services at an organisational level, and the importance of training staff to support patients and their families with end of life planning.
COVID-19 大流行对老年人的心理健康护理产生了重大影响。我们的研究旨在探讨工作人员在关键挑战和创新方面的观点，以帮助为大流行后续浪潮中老年人的心理健康护理提供信息。
使用国家卫生研究院心理健康政策研究单位开发的混合方法在线问卷，收集工作人员对工作中的挑战、服务使用者及其照顾者面临的问题以及帮助和支持来源的看法。对定量分析采用描述性统计，对定性分析采用描述性内容分析。
共纳入 158 名参与者，他们在社区或住院环境中工作，来自各种专业学科。对于住院工作人员来说，感染控制是一个重大挑战。在社区中，工作人员认为患者面临的挑战包括无法获得身体和社会护理以及与朋友和家人的接触减少。远程工作被视为一项积极的创新，同时还有来自各种来源的 COVID-19 相关指导和同行支持。
我们的研究重点关注工作人员和患者的福祉，有助于为未来的大流行浪潮提供服务发展信息。我们讨论了在住院环境中加强感染控制的措施、志愿组织在支持社区中社交隔离患者方面的作用、在组织层面更好地整合身心健康服务的必要性，以及培训工作人员支持患者及其家属进行临终规划的重要性。
