IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/hepoli/v135y2023ics0168851023001483.html

COVID-19 and healthcare worker mental well-being: Comparative case studies on interventions in six countries

Author

Listed:
  • Byrne, John-Paul
  • Humphries, Niamh
  • McMurray, Robert
  • Scotter, Cris

Abstract

Healthcare worker (HCW) mental well-being has become a global public health priority as health systems seek to strengthen their resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysing data from the Health System Response Monitor, we present six case studies (Denmark, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Romania, and the United Kingdom) as a comparative review of policy interventions supporting HCW mental health during the pandemic. The results illustrate a wide range of interventions. While Denmark and the United Kingdom built on pre-existing structures to support HCW mental wellbeing during the pandemic, the other countries required new interventions. Across all cases, there was a reliance on self-care resources, online training tools, and remote professional support.

Suggested Citation

  • Byrne, John-Paul & Humphries, Niamh & McMurray, Robert & Scotter, Cris, 2023. "COVID-19 and healthcare worker mental well-being: Comparative case studies on interventions in six countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:135:y:2023:i:c:s0168851023001483
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104863
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851023001483
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104863?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yufei Li & Nathaniel Scherer & Lambert Felix & Hannah Kuper, 2021. "Prevalence of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Jain, Aditya & Torres, Luis D. & Teoh, Kevin & Leka, Stavroula, 2022. "The impact of national legislation on psychosocial risks on organisational action plans, psychosocial working conditions, and employee work-related stress in Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    3. Viola Burau & Michelle Falkenbach & Stefano Neri & Stephen Peckham & Iris Wallenburg & Ellen Kuhlmann, 2022. "Health system resilience and health workforce capacities: Comparing health system responses during the COVID‐19 pandemic in six European countries," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 2032-2048, July.
    4. Platt, Lucinda & Warwick, Ross, 2020. "COVID-19 and ethnic Inequalities in England and Wales," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105576, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Winkelmann, Juliane & Webb, Erin & Williams, Gemma A. & Hernández-Quevedo, Cristina & Maier, Claudia B. & Panteli, Dimitra, 2022. "European countries' responses in ensuring sufficient physical infrastructure and workforce capacity during the first COVID-19 wave," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(5), pages 362-372.
    6. Byrne, John-Paul & Conway, Edel & McDermott, Aoife M. & Matthews, Anne & Prihodova, Lucia & Costello, Richard W. & Humphries, Niamh, 2021. "How the organisation of medical work shapes the everyday work experiences underpinning doctor migration trends: The case of Irish-trained emigrant doctors in Australia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(4), pages 467-473.
    7. Jennifer Creese & John-Paul Byrne & Edel Conway & Elizabeth Barrett & Lucia Prihodova & Niamh Humphries, 2021. "“We All Really Need to just Take a Breath”: Composite Narratives of Hospital Doctors’ Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Webb, Erin & Winkelmann, Juliane & Scarpetti, Giada & Behmane, Daiga & Habicht, Triin & Kahur, Kristiina & Kasekamp, Kaija & Köhler, Kristina & Miščikienė, Laura & Misins, Janis & Reinap, Marge & Slap, 2022. "Lessons learned from the Baltic countries’ response to the first wave of COVID-19," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(5), pages 438-445.
    9. Unruh, Lynn & Allin, Sara & Marchildon, Greg & Burke, Sara & Barry, Sarah & Siersbaek, Rikke & Thomas, Steve & Rajan, Selina & Koval, Andriy & Alexander, Mathew & Merkur, Sherry & Webb, Erin & William, 2022. "A comparison of 2020 health policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(5), pages 427-437.
    10. Lucinda Platt & Ross Warwick, 2020. "COVID‐19 and Ethnic Inequalities in England and Wales," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 259-289, June.
    11. Džakula, Aleksandar & Banadinović, Maja & Lovrenčić, Iva Lukačević & Vajagić, Maja & Dimova, Antoniya & Rohova, Maria & Minev, Mincho & Scintee, Silvia Gabriela & Vladescu, Cristian & Farcasanu, Dana , 2022. "A comparison of health system responses to COVID-19 in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania in 2020," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(5), pages 456-464.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Burau, Viola & Mejsner, Sofie Buch & Falkenbach, Michelle & Fehsenfeld, Michael & Kotherová, Zuzana & Neri, Stefano & Wallenburg, Iris & Kuhlmann, Ellen, 2024. "Post-COVID health policy responses to healthcare workforce capacities: A comparative analysis of health system resilience in six European countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Oprea, Natalia & Giacomelli, Giorgio & Sartirana, Marco & Trinchero, Elisabetta & Georgescu, Irène, 2025. "Meso-organisational determinants of healthcare workers’ resilience: results of a scoping review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Odgerel Chimed-Ochir & Jargalmaa Amarsanaa & Nader Ghotbi & Yui Yumiya & Ryoma Kayano & Frank Van Trimpont & Virginia Murray & Tatsuhiko Kubo, 2023. "Impact of COVID-19 on Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management System: A Scoping Review of Healthcare Workforce Management in COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Albuquerque, Bruno & Green, Georgina, 2023. "Financial concerns and the marginal propensity to consume in COVID times: Evidence from UK survey data," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    3. Fari Aftab & Juliane Scheffel & David Spencer, 2025. "The subjective well-being of immigrants and natives during Covid-19," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Broihanne, Marie-Hélène & Plotkina, Daria & Kleimeier, Stefanie & Göritz, Anja S. & Hoffmann, Arvid O.I., 2025. "Corrigendum to “How COVID-19 illness perceptions and individual shocks are associated with trust during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa” [Health policy (2024) 105178]," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Francesco Fasani & Jacopo Mazza, 2023. "Being on the Frontline? Immigrant Workers in Europe and the COVID-19 Pandemic," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 76(5), pages 890-918, October.
    6. Grashuis, Jasper, 2021. "Self-employment duration during the COVID-19 pandemic: A competing risk analysis," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 15(C).
    7. Liz McDonnell & Amy Clarke & Alison Phipps, 2025. "‘They Should have been Looking after People for a Long Time’: Human Giving and Generosity During COVID-19, in Austerity Britain," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 30(1), pages 43-58, March.
    8. Burau, Viola & Mejsner, Sofie Buch & Falkenbach, Michelle & Fehsenfeld, Michael & Kotherová, Zuzana & Neri, Stefano & Wallenburg, Iris & Kuhlmann, Ellen, 2024. "Post-COVID health policy responses to healthcare workforce capacities: A comparative analysis of health system resilience in six European countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    9. Jones, Melanie, 2022. "COVID-19 and the labour market outcomes of disabled people in the UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    10. Elena Mazzalai & Dara Giannini & Maria Elena Tosti & Franca D’Angelo & Silvia Declich & Anissa Jaljaa & Susanna Caminada & Federica Turatto & Chiara Marchi & Angela Gatta & Aurora Angelozzi & Giulia M, 2023. "Risk of Covid-19 Severe Outcomes and Mortality in Migrants and Ethnic Minorities Compared to the General Population in the European WHO Region: a Systematic Review," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1305-1335, September.
    11. Ewa Małgorzata Szepietowska & Ewa Zawadzka & Sara Filipiak, 2022. "Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Sense of Gains and Losses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-19, March.
    12. Antonios Revythis & Sidrah Shah & Synthia Enyioma & Aruni Ghose & Meenash Patel & Afroditi Karathanasi & Elisabet Sanchez & Stergios Boussios, 2021. "The Experience of a Single NHS England Trust on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Junior and Middle-Grade Doctors: What Is Next?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, October.
    13. Ramalingam Shanmugam & Lawrence Fulton & Jose Betancourt & Gerardo J. Pacheco, 2022. "Indexing Inefficacy of Efforts to Stop Escalation of COVID Mortality," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(24), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Nicola Magnavita & Lucia Isolani, 2025. "Violence in Healthcare Workers Is Associated with Disordered Eating," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(8), pages 1-21, August.
    15. Maria Rosaria Gualano & Tiziana Sinigaglia & Giuseppina Lo Moro & Stefano Rousset & Agnese Cremona & Fabrizio Bert & Roberta Siliquini, 2021. "The Burden of Burnout among Healthcare Professionals of Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-17, August.
    16. Hsiao-Hsien Lin & Yi-Han Tseng & Yong-Zhan Zheng & Chih-Hsiang Hung, 2025. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Investigating the Leisure Patterns and the Well-being of Healthcare Workers in High-Risk Environments: Insights from a Pandemic Landscape," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6517-6549, June.
    17. Tu, Ke & Chen, Shirley & Mesler, Rhiannon MacDonnell, 2023. "Policy stringency and the spread of COVID-19: The moderating role of culture and its implications on first responses," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    18. Mohammed Al Maqbali & Ahmad Alsayed & Ciara Hughes & Eileen Hacker & Geoffrey L Dickens, 2024. "Stress, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance among healthcare professional during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review of 72 meta-analyses," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-35, May.
    19. Elton Beqiraj & Giovanni Di Bartolomeo & Marco Di Pietro & Carolina Serpieri, 2024. "An integrated Bayesian-principal component approach to macroeconomic resilience: the case of the Central Europe and Baltic macro-region," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 52(5), pages 843-858, August.
    20. Gabriel Brătucu & Andra Ioana Maria Tudor & Adriana Veronica Litră & Eliza Nichifor & Ioana Bianca Chițu & Tamara-Oana Brătucu, 2022. "Designing the Well-Being of Romanians by Achieving Mental Health with Digital Methods and Public Health Promotion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-24, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:135:y:2023:i:c:s0168851023001483. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu or the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/healthpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.