Survey of Psychological Well-being of Health Care Workers in the Hospital Setting

NCT06923436 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 7439
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 500
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The psychological well-being of healthcare workers in hospital settings is a topic of growing interest in the scientific literature, given the crucial importance of their role in ensuring high-quality care. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic health emergency has further accentuated the relevance of this issue, increasing anxiety and stress levels, testing the resilience and resistance of those working in care settings, revealing and highlighting how the accumulation of work-related stress can result in disabling pathologies for the caregiver, with an inevitable impact on the facility and care in general. Recent studies show that health care workers are particularly vulnerable to work-related stress, which can result from various factors such as high work demands, emotional pressure, irregular shifts, and interactions with critically ill patients. Burnout syndrome, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment, is widely documented among hospital staff. Research indicates that burnout not only compromises the psychological health of healthcare workers, but also negatively affects the quality of care provided by increasing the risk of medical errors. In light of these factors, it is crucial to deepen our understanding of the dynamics that influence psychological well-being and work-related stress in health care workers in order to develop effective interventions that can improve their quality of life and consequently the quality of care provided to patients. Preliminary assessment of the emotional burden and motivational aspects of health care workers (showing what very often eludes a first glance, making visible something that is often invisible), along with effective stress management, would allow for greater ability to remain calm under pressure, reduced frustration, increased ability to make informed decisions, and to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues. These aspects translate into an image of a safer and more caring health care system in promoting better quality of care. The aim of this project is to highlight the importance of psychological wellbeing for those working in health care settings and to promote attention to this area, also with a view to identifying possible interventions aimed at identifying preventive and protective factors in relation to health care workers. The aim, therefore, is to show what is very often invisible at first sight, to make visible what is invisible: to explore, accommodate and contain areas of criticality and fragility in the context of work in health care settings, working on interventions aimed at the psychological well-being of workers.

Conditions

Professional Quality of Life; Healthy; Psychological Well Being; Stress Response; Resilience; Alexithymia; Spirituality; Coping Skills; Job-related Affective Well-being; Burnout, Healthcare Workers; Empathy Skills; Quality of Life Outcomes; Technostress

Keywords

Psychological well-being of health care workers in the hospital setting; work-related stress; emotional burden; Motivational aspects of health professionals; occupational well-being; Perceived Stress; Perceived stress from the intensive use of digital technology in work settings

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Assessment of indicators of work-related psychological well-being using the Maslach Scale (MBI), with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months

  The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a widely used psychological assessment instrument developed for measuring and evaluating burnout of individuals in various professional settings. The MBI is a self-report questionnaire whose purpose is to measure the various dimensions of burnout that include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Consisting of 22 items, each of which includes 6 different response grades on a Likert scale, this test facilitates the creation of tailored interventions and strategies to prevent or address burnout effectively.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

• Assessment of indicators of work-related Stress, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is the most widely used instrument for assessing perceived stress in individuals aimed at measuring the degree to which situations in one's life are rated as stressful. It is a test consisting of 10 questions in which the individual's feelings and thoughts over the previous month are investigated and asked to express the frequency with which these occur using a Likert scale of 5 different grades. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 40. The items were developed so that they can detect how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded individuals feel their lives are. Scores from 0 to 13: low perceived stress Scores from 14 to 26: moderate perceived stress Scores froom 27 to 40: high perceived stress

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Assessment of coping styles through the Brief-COPE questionnaire, with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

• Evaluation of motivation/attachment to one's work through the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS), with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

• Evaluation of Empathy with the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale - BEES, with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

• Assessment of Quality of Life in the Professional Context through the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

• Assessment of Spiritual Well-being (by FACIT-Sp-12), with evaluation of any differences between a Baseline, and after 4 months.

  From enrollment (Time 0) to 4 weeks (Time 1)

Study Arms (1)

Hospital health workers

Hospital healthcare workers in departments most considered to be at risk of work-related stress (emergency, oncology)

Behavioral: Psychological Assessment

Interventions

Psychological Assessment BEHAVIORAL

Collection of anamnestic and socio-demographic data, test administration repeated 4 months apart to monitor any changes

Hospital health workers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthcare workers, with a focus on contexts and departments considered more critical (due to the type of activity or the type of patients, such as the emergency area or oncology departments).

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Work activity carried out in departments classified as at risk for work-related stress (emergency care, oncology...)
• Willingness to participate in the study and the ability to understand and sign the informed consent form.

You may not qualify if:

• Psychological/psychiatric comorbidities
• Inability to sign the informed consent form

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS: lead

Related Publications (7)

• Callegari C, Bertu L, Lucano M, Ielmini M, Braggio E, Vender S. Reliability and validity of the Italian version of the 14-item Resilience Scale. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2016 Oct 3;9:277-284. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S115657. eCollection 2016.

  PMID: 27757055 BACKGROUND

• Palmieri G, Evans C, Hansen V, Brancaleoni G, Ferrari S, Porcelli P, Reitano F, Rigatelli M. Validation of the Italian version of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Clin Psychol Psychother. 2009 Sep-Oct;16(5):444-9. doi: 10.1002/cpp.646.

  PMID: 19701881 BACKGROUND

• Maresca G, Corallo F, Catanese G, Formica C, Lo Buono V. Coping Strategies of Healthcare Professionals with Burnout Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 Feb 21;58(2):327. doi: 10.3390/medicina58020327.

  PMID: 35208650 BACKGROUND

• Pollock A, Campbell P, Cheyne J, Cowie J, Davis B, McCallum J, McGill K, Elders A, Hagen S, McClurg D, Torrens C, Maxwell M. Interventions to support the resilience and mental health of frontline health and social care professionals during and after a disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic: a mixed methods systematic review. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 5;11(11):CD013779. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013779.

  PMID: 33150970 BACKGROUND

• Laserna Jimenez C, Casado Montanes I, Carol M, Guix-Comellas EM, Fabrellas N. Quality of professional life of primary healthcare nurses: A systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2022 May;31(9-10):1097-1112. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16015. Epub 2021 Aug 27.

  PMID: 34453386 BACKGROUND

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; National Academy of Medicine; Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030; Flaubert JL, Le Menestrel S, Williams DR, Wakefield MK, editors. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2021 May 11. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573914/

  PMID: 34524769 BACKGROUND

• Trumello C, Bramanti SM, Ballarotto G, Candelori C, Cerniglia L, Cimino S, Crudele M, Lombardi L, Pignataro S, Viceconti ML, Babore A. Psychological Adjustment of Healthcare Workers in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Differences in Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Burnout, Secondary Trauma, and Compassion Satisfaction between Frontline and Non-Frontline Professionals. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 12;17(22):8358. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228358.

  PMID: 33198084 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being; Fractures, Stress; Affective Symptoms; Burnout, Psychological; Occupational Stress

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior; Fractures, Bone; Wounds and Injuries; Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 4 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2025
• First Posted: April 11, 2025
• Study Start: April 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: April 27, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04