Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 75 Albert St, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5E7, Canada.
Harm Reduct J. 2024 Feb 22;21(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s12954-024-00966-3.
Harm reduction (HR) is a critical response to the pronounced toxicity deaths being experienced in Canada. HR providers report many benefits of their jobs, but also encounter chronic stress from structural inequities and exposure to trauma and death. This research study sought to quantify the emotional toll the toxicity emergency placed on HR providers (Cycle One; 2019). Study objectives were later expanded to determine the impact of the ongoing toxicity as well as the pandemic's impact on well-being (Cycle Two; 2021).
Standardized measures of job satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vulnerability to grief were used in an online national survey. Open-ended questions addressed resources and supports. HR partners across Canada validated the findings and contributed to alternative interpretations and implications.
651 respondents in Cycle One and 1,360 in Cycle Two reported moderately high levels of job satisfaction; they reported finding great meaning in their work. Yet, mean levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress were moderate, with the latter significantly increasing in Cycle Two. Reported vulnerability to grief was moderate but increased significantly during COVID. When available, supports lacked the quality necessary to respond to the complexities of HR workers' experiences, or an insufficient number of sessions were covered through benefits. Respondents shared that their professional quality of life was affected more by policy failures and gaps in the healthcare system than it was by the demands of their jobs.
Both the benefits and the strain of providing harm reduction services cannot be underestimated. For HR providers, these impacts are compounded by the drug toxicity emergency, making the service gaps experienced by them all the more critical to address. Implications highlight the need for integration of HR into the healthcare system, sustainable and reliable funding, sufficient counselling supports, and equitable staffing models. Support for this essential workforce is critical to ensuring the well-being of themselves, the individuals they serve, and the health of the broader healthcare system.
减少伤害 (HR) 是对加拿大明显毒性死亡事件的重要应对措施。HR 提供者报告了他们工作的许多好处，但也因结构性不平等以及接触创伤和死亡而长期承受压力。这项研究旨在量化毒性紧急情况对 HR 提供者造成的情绪影响（第一周期；2019 年）。后来，研究目标扩大到确定持续毒性以及大流行对幸福感的影响（第二周期；2021 年）。
使用标准化的工作满意度、倦怠、二次创伤性应激和易悲伤脆弱性测量方法进行了在线全国调查。开放式问题涉及资源和支持。加拿大各地的 HR 合作伙伴验证了研究结果，并对替代解释和影响做出了贡献。
第一周期有 651 名受访者，第二周期有 1360 名受访者报告称工作满意度较高；他们表示在工作中找到了很大的意义。然而，倦怠和二次创伤性应激的平均水平处于中等水平，后者在第二周期显著增加。报告的易悲伤脆弱性处于中等水平，但在 COVID 期间显著增加。在有支持的情况下，支持缺乏应对 HR 工作者经历复杂性所需的质量，或者通过福利覆盖的会话数量不足。受访者表示，他们的专业生活质量受政策失败和医疗保健系统中的差距的影响大于工作需求的影响。
提供减少伤害服务的好处和压力都不可低估。对于 HR 提供者来说，毒品毒性紧急情况使他们的服务差距更加严重，使他们的压力更加严重。这些影响突出了将 HR 纳入医疗保健系统、可持续和可靠的资金、足够的咨询支持以及公平的人员配备模式的必要性。对这一重要劳动力的支持对于确保他们自己、他们服务的个人以及更广泛的医疗保健系统的健康至关重要。
