A Qualitative Study of the Psychological Needs of Critical Care Staff [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Qualitative Study of the Psychological Needs of Critical Care Staff, as Highlighted by the COVID-19 Outbreak
IRAS ID
287937
Contact name
Olivia Sutton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 2 days
Research summary
A Qualitative Study of the Psychological Needs of Critical Care Staff as Highlighted by the COVID-19 Outbreak.
Evidence shows that people working in Critical Care are vulnerable to psychological distress within their job roles, which can lead to burnout, higher sickness rates, and lower retention rates. However, introducing psychological support for staff within healthcare settings appears to be a relatively novel idea. In addition, the recent COVID-19 outbreak meant that hospitals were advised to offer further support for their staff, suggesting that the existing interventions were not enough.Support has been provided in hospitals in the UK via the existing Clinical Psychologists working within the Trusts, however this support will cease to exist once the Clinical Psychologists resume their regular clinical work with patients.
Given the prevalence of psychological distress in Critical Care Staff (regardless of health crises), and the barriers to seeking external sources of intervention, more regular support perhaps should have been readily available prior to COVID-19. It is important that Critical Care Staffs’ voices are heard so that an appropriate level of support is maintained once cases of COVID-19 begin to fall.
This study’s primary aim is to understand the psychological needs of Critical Care Staff, whether these needs are being met and what can be done in order to ensure staff wellbeing is a priority. In order to achieve this, semi-structured interviews will be completed and themes will be extracted using Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Participants will be Critical Care Staff working at The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH): Administrators, Receptionists, Housekeepers, Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Dieticians and Health Care Assistants. In addition, as it is a teaching hospital, students will also be able to participate, provided that they meet the inclusion criteria.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A