Well-being interventions for emergency department staff: 'necessary' but 'inadequate' - a phenomenographic study

Stress and burnout are prevalent among emergency department (ED) staff in the UK. The concept of well-being interventions for ED staff is a growing area of interest and research worldwide. Various interventions are described in the literature, yet little is known about the experience of ED staff in the UK of interventions designed to support their well-being. This study therefore aimed to understand their experiences of these interventions.

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine members of staff from different professional backgrounds at a tertiary trauma centre in the UK between June and July 2023. The inclusion criteria were staff who had worked in a National Health Service ED setting in the UK for more than 12 months. Participants were asked about their experience and perceptions of well-being interventions delivered in the workplace. A phenomenographical approach was applied to analyse the narrative data.

The findings resulted in seven qualitatively different but related categories. Participants experienced interventions to be: (1) necessary due to their stressful working environment; (2) beneficial in supporting their well-being; (3) feasible in an ED setting; (4) inadequate due to lack of quality and accessibility; (5) improving with increased acceptability and support; (6) restricted by clinical and organisational factors; and (7) ambiguous in definition, measurement and individual interpretation. Space for facilitated reflection and role modelling by leaders were felt to be important.

Job demands simultaneously necessitate and restrict the provision of adequate interventions to support well-being in the ED. These demands need to be addressed as part of wider organisational change including the provision of self-care facilities and opportunities, protected time for facilitated reflection, high-quality and accessible learning opportunities for personal and professional development, training for staff delivering well-being interventions and positive role modelling by leaders.