Occupational Therapy, Health and Wellbeing
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Item Health and wellbeing amidst a prolonged pandemic: implications for physicians and patients.(West African College of Physicians, 2022-12-29) Arawomo, A OHealth is wealth, so goes the popular maxim. The 46th West African College of Physicians Annual General and Scientific Meeting focuses on Health and Wellbeing Amidst a Prolonged Pandemic. Health and wellbeing are closely related components critical to healthy living and cannot be considered independent of each other. While health is a state of total wellbeing; wellbeing is intricately linked with happiness and satisfaction in life. The COVID- 19 pandemic has significantly impacted the health and well-being of nations all over the world. In the wake of the pandemic came the COVID-19 recession which brought a crash in the global economy, reduction in productivity, rise in unemployment, massive layoffs, collapse of businesses and manufacturing industries, disruptions in transportation and much more. These harsh economic realities have placed a huge strain on global mental health resulting in physical, mental and social disorders. The workload of the average physician and other health care workers increased tremendously resulting in burnout and psychological stress with a consequent increase in the incidence of psychological disorders including anxiety, depression, suicide and suicidal ideation amongst others. The lack of preparedness for the pandemic and the inequality in strength of healthcare systems across the world prolonged the pandemic and its adverse consequences on health and wellbeing of the populace. Promotion of health and well-being of health care professionals and the populace at large is essential for the growth of any economy and is an essential consideration for stakeholders involved in disease prevention and health promotion.Item How can we keep active in our new virtual world of work?(The Wolverhampton NHS Trust., 2022-06-01) Eddison, Nicola;The COVID-19 pandemic has made us re-evaluate the way we work - in particular changing meetings, with the vast majority now taking place virtually. The seismic shift has saved the NHS thousands of hours. It has been reported that the NHS holds on average 1.3m virtual meetings per week, freeing up more than 2.9m hours for NHS workers across the country in a six-month period.Item COVID-19 seroprevalence after the first UK wave of the pandemic and its association with the physical and mental wellbeing of secondary care healthcare workers(Elsevier, 2022-10-01) Sethi, Sonika; Sharrod-Cole, Hayley; Race, Adam; Bateman, James; Basu, Supratik; Cotton, James MatthewObjectives: To determine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody status amongst healthcare workers (HCWs) working through the first wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. To examine the association of seroprevalence and self-reported COVID-19 symptoms with occupation, sex, and ethnicity; and how these factors were associated with physical and mental wellbeing. Design: Single-centre cohort study. Setting: Large public hospital in the United Kingdom. Intervention: All HCWs who had been tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig) G nucleocapsid antibody in summer 2020 were asked to complete an electronic survey focusing on their physical and mental health in Winter 2020-21. This survey was comprised of the Short Form 12v2, Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS), and Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) questionnaires. Results: 7604/9781 (77.7%) HCWs were antibody tested, of which 1082 completed the full survey. Antibody testing was conducted between 17/06/20-30/07/20, during which time our seroprevalence rate was 28% (299/1082). Of those self-reporting COVID-19 symptoms, 51% (201/395) were antibody positive. Antibody-positive participants had lower PCS scores (p = 0.016), indicating poorer physical health. Lower PCS scores were also found in those deemed high risk for COVID-19 by their GP (p = 0.001), and those aged >44 years (p = 0.009). Antibody-negative participants had lower MCS scores (p = 0.044), indicating poorer mental health. Those who self-reported COVID-19 symptoms had lower PCS scores (p=<0.001) than those with no symptoms. Lower MCS scores were found in women (p = 0.001), Caucasians (p = 0.018), non-clinicians (p = 0.001), and those aged <44 years (p = 0.009). Significantly higher GAD-7 anxiety scores were evident in staff aged <44 years (p = 0.023), and those with self-reported COVID symptoms (p = 0.031). Doctors had lower GAD-7 anxiety scores (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Self-reported symptoms did not correlate with seroprevalence; data surrounding this can be useful for future workforce planning. Interventions are needed to reduce the mental and physical burden of the pandemic on HCWs. Further work is needed to identify which particular HCWs may require further support, to ensure well-being and effective patient care.Item The occupational health and wellbeing teams - working to embed positive emotional wellbeing initiatives for staff.(Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, 2022-02-01) Sharp, JulieThe health and wellbeing of Walsall Healthcare NHS and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust staff is integral to maintaining staff morale and the quality care for the patients we serve in our community. The pandemic has placed considerable demands on the NHS, not least, the psychological health of all staff.Item Free fitness platform for NHS employees(NIHR, 2020-10-21) Davis, Julie; Foreman, CAs part of the The Royal Wolverhampton's NHS Trust's commitment to looking after staff wellbeing, we launched #DoingOurBit – a collection of dedicated, original fitness videos for staff to do at home.