Testing of A Caregiver Support Team.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Healthcare clinicians face prolonged stress from demanding work, emotional burdens, and interpersonal conflicts, leading to anxiety, burnout, and even suicide.
• The Caregiver Support Team initiative aims to provide immediate emotional first aid and triage for healthcare professionals experiencing distress.
• This program is an extension of the previously implemented Code Lavender initiative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and impact of implementing a Caregiver Support Team for providing emotional first aid in a healthcare workplace.
• To evaluate clinician acceptance, utilization, and the effect on Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) scores, job satisfaction, and feelings of being cared for.

Main Methods:

• A pilot program was conducted on 4 hospital units following a Code Lavender initiative.
• Peer supporters were nominated by staff, received 8 hours of training from a psychologist, and proactively offered emotional support.
• Feasibility data and ProQoL scores were collected at baseline and after 3 months.

Main Results:

• At baseline, 59% of staff reported symptomatic workplace stress, primarily due to patient/family emotional responses, colleague disputes, and negative clinical outcomes.
• The Caregiver Support Team intervention was utilized by 40% of respondents, with 100% finding it helpful and recommending it.
• While ProQoL scores and job satisfaction showed no significant change, the feeling of being cared for improved, and one suicide was prevented.

Conclusions:

• The Caregiver Support Team intervention was positively received and deemed feasible, leading to organizational support for system-wide dissemination.
• Further interventions are necessary to address the root causes of workplace stressors in healthcare.
• Developing a formal link with Risk Management is underway to better identify and manage cases requiring emotional debriefing.