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Health workers related news articles
170 care workers call UK whistleblower helpline during Covid-19 crisis
More than 170 care workers have called a whistleblowing helpline since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to a report that highlights the voices of frontline staff and lays bare a catalogue of safety concerns.
1 May 2020
Suicides of two health care workers hint at the Covid-19 mental health crisis to come
he U.S. entered a grim new chapter in the coronavirus saga with the recent deaths by suicide of two health care workers on the front lines of the fight against Covid-19 in New York City: emergency medical technician John Mondello and emergency physician Lorna Breen.
Health care workers are well-trained to manage the intensity of a medical crisis. But few are equally comfortable managing its mental health aftermath, in themselves or in others. Even before the pandemic emerged, moral injury and burnout were rampant among clinicians. Coping with Covid-19 has magnified many of those challenges and added new ones with the reality of resource constraints.
30 Apr 2020
Mitigating the psychological effects of COVID-19 on health care workers
Key Points:
Health care workers may experience considerable psychologic distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to providing direct patient care, vicarious trauma, quarantine or selfisolation.
Strong leadership with clear, honest and open communication is needed to offset fears and uncertainties.
Provision of adequate resources (e.g., medical supplies) and mental health supports will bolster individual self-efficacy and confidence.
Leveraging online technology will allow delivery of psychosocial supports while preserving physical distancing.
Emphasizing the altruism of working in health care and serving of the greater good will help health care workers to be reminded of their purpose in a time of crisis.
27 Apr 2020
A Nurse’s Hospital Wouldn’t Let Her Wear an N95 Mask. She Hasn’t Been Back to Work in Weeks.
On March 31, Florida emergency room nurse Naomi Moya took a big risk. Though her hospital didn’t allow staff to wear N95 masks when treating patients who were not diagnosed with the coronavirus, Moya brought one from home and put it on to protect herself.
A supervisor noticed the N95 right away and ordered her to remove it.
18 Apr 2020
Canadian health workers on COVID-19 front line say they need mental health support, poll indicates
Almost half of Canadian health-care workers involved in the coronavirus crisis feel they need mental health help, according to the results of a recent survey.
In the survey, conducted April 1-6 by Montreal research firm Potloc and the Canadian Public Health Association — a non-profit public health advocate — 47 per cent of health-care workers surveyed said they needed psychological support.
Forty-five per cent of respondents also felt they needed more training, and 40 per cent said they needed more medical staff at their facilities.
16 Apr 2020