The authors found that healthcare workers might be able to reduce their stress by means of individual-level interventions such as cognitive behavior training, exercising or listening to music. This may be beneficial for the healthcare workers themselves and it may spill over to the patients they care for, and the organizations they work for. This is evidence from the international Cochrane review, in which SPH researchers Sietske Tamminga, Lima Emal, Julitta Boschman, Roos Schelvis, Karen Nieuwenhuijsen and Henk van der Molen participated.

"Healthcare workers often face stressful and emotional situations in patient care. This includes human suffering and the pressure exerted by patients or their loved ones. Additionally, the increasing workload adds to the stress, with sometimes longer working hours due to the shortage of healthcare personnel," said Sietske Tamminga.

The objective of this Cochrane review was to examine which interventions yielded the best results in reducing stress. The researchers analyzed 117 studies on the effects of various methods to alleviate stress. The healthcare workers who participated in the studies reported experiencing low to moderate levels of stress, which can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension or pain, but also mental symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, impaired concentration and emotional and relationship problems.

We found methods aimed at directing attention to the perceived stress, such as cognitive behavioral training, assertiveness training, coping, and communication skills. In addition, interventions were also used to divert attention away from stress, such as relaxation exercises, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, tai chi, massage, acupuncture, and engaging in or listening to music.

“We found that healthcare workers might be able to reduce their stress by means of individual-level interventions such as cognitive behaviour training, exercising or listening to music. This may be beneficial for the healthcare workers themselves and it may spill over to the patients they care for, and the organisations they work for. The effect may last for up to a year and a combination of interventions may be beneficial as well, at least in the short term. Employers should not hesitate to facilitate a range of stress interventions for their employees. The long-term effects of stress management interventions remain unknown.”

“We need more studies on interventions addressing work-related risk factors both at the individual and organisational level,” said Dr Tamminga. “It might be even more beneficial to improve working conditions themselves, instead of only helping individuals to deal better with heavy psychosocial burdens. For example, employers could address problems of understaffing, over-work and anti-social shift patterns. If you’re dedicated to change, you need to change the underlying risk factors rather than focusing on the symptoms.”

For more information, please refer to the Cochrane review.