About this Research Topic
The COVID-19 pandemic is an exceptional time for healthcare workers and the population. The changes to WHO guidance and restrictions on face-to-face contact is having an impact on the way healthcare workers are communicating and providing support services to patients.
Maintaining healthcare workers’ well-being and mental health during this time of increased pressures is much needed. It is essential to have a resilient workforce that can respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Healthcare workers at the frontline may be more susceptible to psychological stressors such as scant resources, protecting themselves as well as their patients, whilst balancing this with maintaining the health and well-being of family and friends.
The critical challenge is how to support the mental health of healthcare workers in the current crisis due to the increased psychological burden of COVID-19. The consequences of this on health care workers in the short- and long-term is unknown and is likely to require significant planning and coordination—healthcare workers may be at high risk of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Consequently, specific interventions to promote psychological well-being are needed. There is an opportunity to provide technological solutions such as Big White Wall to engage and promote access to a variety of mental health resources and online support, including Headspace and Unmind.
There is a pressing need to (1) collate the best available practice guidelines around effective healthcare delivery during a pandemic, and (2) to share knowledge from diverse contexts, which can be applied and implemented for any aspect of healthcare communication. For example, whether implementation methods known to be effective in one context could be applied to another. There is a need to understand the best ways of increasing patient understanding of personal health risk, and how to support healthcare providers to deliver effective healthcare which informs and involves patients in essential health decisions and behavioral choices.
In this Research Topic, we aim to address the issues and problems faced by researchers, policymakers, and educators, when formulating best evidence and practice recommendations; to collate the best available evidence and recommendations for future practice for supporting healthcare workers. Manuscripts may take the form of completed empirical studies, theoretical papers, critical reviews, or commentaries.
Submissions can cover any aspect of policy, practice, or theory relevant to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare workers. Submissions may include the following topics:
• Healthcare professionals’ mental health, resilience, or emotional regulation
• Health risk communication
• Barriers and enablers to healthcare delivery during a pandemic
• Recommended apps and forums
***Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 situation, Frontiers is waiving all article publishing charges for COVID-19 related research in this Research Topic until December 31st 2020.***
Maintaining healthcare workers’ well-being and mental health during this time of increased pressures is much needed. It is essential to have a resilient workforce that can respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Healthcare workers at the frontline may be more susceptible to psychological stressors such as scant resources, protecting themselves as well as their patients, whilst balancing this with maintaining the health and well-being of family and friends.
The critical challenge is how to support the mental health of healthcare workers in the current crisis due to the increased psychological burden of COVID-19. The consequences of this on health care workers in the short- and long-term is unknown and is likely to require significant planning and coordination—healthcare workers may be at high risk of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Consequently, specific interventions to promote psychological well-being are needed. There is an opportunity to provide technological solutions such as Big White Wall to engage and promote access to a variety of mental health resources and online support, including Headspace and Unmind.
There is a pressing need to (1) collate the best available practice guidelines around effective healthcare delivery during a pandemic, and (2) to share knowledge from diverse contexts, which can be applied and implemented for any aspect of healthcare communication. For example, whether implementation methods known to be effective in one context could be applied to another. There is a need to understand the best ways of increasing patient understanding of personal health risk, and how to support healthcare providers to deliver effective healthcare which informs and involves patients in essential health decisions and behavioral choices.
In this Research Topic, we aim to address the issues and problems faced by researchers, policymakers, and educators, when formulating best evidence and practice recommendations; to collate the best available evidence and recommendations for future practice for supporting healthcare workers. Manuscripts may take the form of completed empirical studies, theoretical papers, critical reviews, or commentaries.
Submissions can cover any aspect of policy, practice, or theory relevant to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare workers. Submissions may include the following topics:
• Healthcare professionals’ mental health, resilience, or emotional regulation
• Health risk communication
• Barriers and enablers to healthcare delivery during a pandemic
• Recommended apps and forums
***Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 situation, Frontiers is waiving all article publishing charges for COVID-19 related research in this Research Topic until December 31st 2020.***
Keywords: COVID-19, Mental Health, Communication, Resilience, Health Care Workers
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
