Study: Online Multi-component Psychological Intervention for Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Link to study information: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04890665

Country: Spain / Mexico

Start date: 2021-07-16

Publications: Dominguez-Rodriguez, A., Martínez-Arriaga, R. J., Herdoiza-Arroyo, P. E., Bautista-Valerio, E., de la Rosa-Gómez, A., Castellanos Vargas, R. O., Lacomba-Trejo, L., Mateu-Mollá, J., Lupercio Ramírez, M. J., Figueroa González, J. A., & Ramírez Martínez, F. R. (2022). E-Health Psychological Intervention for COVID-19 Healthcare Workers: Protocol for its Implementation and Evaluation. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(19), 12749. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912749

Abstract: Due to the current restrictions derived from the pandemic, psychological digital interventions have been an effective option to overcome barriers in mental health care for this population. Likewise, this type of intervention can provide various benefits, such as carried out by different means and the efficacy that they have shown to treat a wide range of mental health problems. The objective of this study is to carry out a randomized clinical trial through a web platform which will have two groups: 1) Self-applied intervention directed at health personnel from all over Mexico for the reduction of symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, stress, compassion fatigue and increased self-care, quality of sleep and perceived quality of life, as well as how to offer tools to acquire knowledge about how to notify bad news to patients and families. The contents of the online intervention will be implemented through a responsive web application. In order to create the most fitted intervention for the real needs of the participants will be created following the principles of User Experience, this ensuring that the design characteristics of the tool will meet the desired requirements to be perceived as easy to use, attractive and useful. The User Experience approach refers to the experience that a user has with a product, with special emphasis on human-product interaction. Background: Healthcare workers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital interventions have been carried out that have been effective with this population; however, few have been reported in Latin America. Our aim is to describe the components and methods to evaluate the feasibility and utility of an online multi-component psychological intervention for healthcare workers in Mexico during COVID-19. (2) Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial with two arms: (1) self-applied intervention and (2) intervention delivered online by therapists. The participants are randomly assigned to one arm, receiving the same treatment contents in both groups. The “Personal COVID” intervention consists of an internet platform containing 9 nuclear and 3 complementary modules. The objectives of the intervention are: (1) to reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout, and compassion fatigue, and (2) to increase the quality of life, sleep quality, self-care, and their skills to give bad news. The protocol has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04890665). (3) Discussion: This protocol is designed according to the highest scientific standards following the SPIRIT guidelines. The “Personal COVID” intervention is expected to be of high efficacy in treating the emotional distress of healthcare workers and promoting their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.