Self-care Strategies for Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 Research Area(s): Epidemiology & Public Health, Healthcare Delivery & Policy, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Social Impacts

The pandemic has completely changed our ways of life. Evidence from health care professionals working on the front-lines shows that their mental health has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Our work advocates for systems-level changes, so that health care professionals have the support they need to take care of themselves and the patients they treat.

Upon analyzing the existing literature on the mental health of Canadian health care professionals, we realized that COVID-19 could cause further detriment to the wellbeing of health care professionals. It is important to note that the health and wellbeing of health care professionals has downstream impacts on the care their patients receive. Thus, it is of utmost importance that we prioritize the wellbeing of our front-line health workers. We have outlined important changes that have to occur at the individual, community and national levels to best support health care professionals.