Mitigating the impact on healthcare workers in critical situations through a psychological first aid program in a university general hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22491/2357-9730.145563Keywords:
COVID-19, Mental health, Pandemic situation, Health ServicesAbstract
Introduction: Natural disasters and health emergencies have significantly increased stress levels among healthcare professionals, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing strategies that promote resilience is crucial for maintaining the mental health of these professionals during such crises. This study details the design and implementation of a psychological support program for frontline healthcare workers and evaluates its feasibility and potential for replication by analyzing service demand and presenting complaints.
Method: The program, named HCPAcomVC (HCPAwithYOU), was developed at Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) and launched in April 2021. It utilized psychological first aid methods, a critical intervention for individuals experiencing high stress or trauma during COVID-19.
Results: From April to July 2021, a program with 40 volunteers served 160 employees (out of the 6,843 dealing directly or indirectly with COVID-19 in our environment). The most frequent issues were mild psychiatric symptoms (29.7%) and high stress levels (22.3%), followed by moderate symptoms (16.2%), and minor psychopharmacological issues (10.8%). Critical cases such as severe symptoms (2.7%) and suicide risk (2.7%) were also addressed. The results show the program’s feasibility by detailing volunteer involvement and employee support. The types of complaints addressed confirm its relevance and highlight the model’s potential for replication.
Conclusion: The rapid implementation of a supportive program for healthcare workers in an adverse scenario such as the COVID-19 proved feasible. This model can be reproduced quickly and effectively in other services that are a reference for the care of other pandemics or critical situations.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Pedro Domingues Goi, Melina Nogueira de Castro, Anne Sordi, Marcio Wagner Camatta, Giovanni Salum, Andressa Goldman Ruwel, Alessandra Mendes Calixto, Ana Luisa Poersh, Felipe Gutierres, Fábio Dantas Filho, Luiza Bohnen Souza, Rita Gomes Prieb, Tatiana Damalso, Myriam Fonte Marques, Maurício Kunz, Lisia Von Diemen, Flávio Pechansky, Félix Henrique Paim Kessler
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