Division of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Department of Hospitalist Medicine, Essentia Health, Duluth, MN, United States.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jun 19;11:1204662. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1204662. eCollection 2023.
To assess the state of mental wellbeing among medical and dental frontline health workers as the COVID-19 pandemic transitions to an endemic phase and to determine what employer-provided intervention strategies these workers perceive as effective and desirable to improve their mental wellbeing.
An anonymous online survey distributed to frontline health workers in a hospitalist program of a tertiary care medical center and a university dental school in Minnesota in September 2022. The survey contained validated tools to measure depression severity, levels of perceived stress, and mental health status as well as questions to determine effective strategies to improve emotional wellbeing among these health workers. Data was evaluated on an aggregate level as well as stratified by level (e.g., physician, staff) and field (e.g., medicine, dentistry).
On average, all groups of health workers suffered from moderate to moderately severe depression, had a much higher perceived stress level than average, and had a fair mental health status. There were no significant differences in depression severity, stress level, or mental health status among physicians, dentists, medical staff, and dental staff. The majority of the respondents perceived adjusted work hours, rewards and incentives, and teamwork as the most effective and desirable strategies to improve their mental wellbeing.
The current mental wellbeing of frontline health workers is poor. Many are dissatisfied with healthcare and consider leaving the industry. To improve their employees' mental wellbeing, healthcare employers might want to consider adjusted work hours, rewards, and teamwork as these intervention strategies are perceived as most effective and desirable by the intended recipients.
评估 COVID-19 大流行过渡到流行阶段期间，医疗和牙科一线卫生工作者的心理健康状况，并确定这些工作者认为哪些雇主提供的干预策略对改善他们的心理健康是有效和可取的。
2022 年 9 月，向明尼苏达州一家三级保健医疗中心的医院医师计划和一所大学牙科学校的一线卫生工作者分发了一份匿名在线调查。该调查采用了经过验证的工具来衡量抑郁严重程度、感知压力水平以及心理健康状况，以及确定改善这些卫生工作者情绪健康的有效策略的问题。数据在总体水平以及按级别（例如，医生、工作人员）和领域（例如，医学、牙科）进行分层评估。
平均而言，所有卫生工作者群体都患有中度至重度抑郁，感知压力水平远高于平均水平，心理健康状况一般。医生、牙医、医务人员和牙科人员之间在抑郁严重程度、压力水平或心理健康状况方面没有显著差异。大多数受访者认为调整工作时间、奖励和激励以及团队合作是改善心理健康的最有效和最理想的策略。
一线卫生工作者目前的心理健康状况较差。许多人对医疗保健不满意，并考虑离开该行业。为了改善员工的心理健康，医疗保健雇主可能希望考虑调整工作时间、奖励和团队合作，因为这些干预策略被预期的接受者认为是最有效和最理想的。
