Kosoko Adeola A, Walia Shabana, Huebinger Ryan
Department of Emergency Medicine, UTHealth Houston, Houston, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Feb 22;15(2):e35321. doi: 10.7759/cureus.35321. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Introduction Communities responded to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with mandatory social-distancing regulations. Pandemic and disaster research shows that social isolation can often cause negative emotions and medical provider burnout. The primary objective of this study was to create and evaluate a novel wellness program, the Happy Hour Wellness Initiative (HHWI), based on peer support group concepts to foster resilience for emergency healthcare providers in response to a novel disaster. Methods The study was performed at a large emergency department with physicians, advanced practice providers, and staff invited to attend weekly "virtual happy hour" sessions. Participants individually opted into each of the six weekly sessions, with no obligation to attend. The program was designed based on the tenets of a peer support group and implemented by video conferencing. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and answered open-ended questions after the six-session HHWI ended. Results Of the 40 survey respondents, 30% reported feeling stressed and 40% felt isolated at the early declaration of the pandemic. Regarding the HHWI, 90% of participants had no expectations from the HHWI, but 90% reported that their favorite part of the initiative was the feeling of togetherness. Most participants (95%) requested a continuation of the HHWI, even if not by a video-conferencing platform, and 90% reported feeling sad after the HHWI ended. Conclusion The emergency department HHWI was a welcome opportunity for employees to combat stress and anxiety brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. The initiative fostered team building, comradery, group advocacy, stress relief, and cheerfulness. The initiative was so greatly welcomed as a tool for wellness that almost all participants recommended that the HHWI should be available, not just in times of hardship, but year-round. The HHWI has provided a new approach to promote wellness in emergency care providers using a peer support group.
引言 社区通过强制性的社交距离规定应对2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行。大流行和灾难研究表明，社会隔离往往会导致负面情绪和医护人员职业倦怠。本研究的主要目的是创建并评估一项基于同伴支持小组概念的新型健康计划——欢乐时光健康倡议（HHWI），以增强急诊医护人员应对新型灾难的恢复力。方法 该研究在一家大型急诊科进行，邀请医生、高级执业医护人员和工作人员参加每周一次的“虚拟欢乐时光”会议。参与者可自行选择参加每周六次会议中的每一次，并无强制参会要求。该计划基于同伴支持小组的原则设计，并通过视频会议实施。在为期六周的HHWI结束后，参与者填写了一份人口统计学调查问卷并回答了开放式问题。结果 在40名调查受访者中，30%表示在疫情初期感到压力大，40%感到孤独。关于HHWI，90%的参与者对其没有期望，但90%的人表示该倡议最吸引他们的部分是团聚的感觉。大多数参与者（95%）要求继续开展HHWI，即使不是通过视频会议平台，90%的人表示HHWI结束后感到难过。结论 急诊科的HHWI为员工提供了一个受欢迎的机会，以对抗COVID-1-9大流行和社交距离带来的压力和焦虑。该倡议促进了团队建设、同志情谊、群体支持、压力缓解和愉悦心情。作为一种促进健康的工具，该倡议非常受欢迎，以至于几乎所有参与者都建议，HHWI不仅应在困难时期提供，而且应全年提供。HHWI提供了一种利用同伴支持小组促进急诊医护人员健康的新方法。
