A challenging scenario at Igualada Hospital
Igualada Hospital faced a critical situation with 40% of its absent staff, leaving the remaining teams in an extremely difficult position. This circumstance not only affected hospitalization, but also significantly impacted primary care.
The emotional cost of the health crisis
In addition to the intense healthcare pressure, health professionals had to lead with considerable emotional burden. They felt the fear of spreading their loved ones, the pain of seeing sick colleagues and the sadness of accompanying patients in their final moments without the company of their relatives.
Psychological impact: anxiety and stress
Josep Checa, who at the time led the Anoia Health Consortium Mental Health and Addiction Service, said that in the first months of the pandemic, they showed an alarming increase in the levels of anxiety and stress among professionals, significantly exceeding the indicators of the general population.
Actions to mitigate the discomfort
Czeca commented that, despite the seriousness of the situation, the initiatives implemented helped to alleviate emotional suffering, improving the cohesion between the teams and proposing methods to meet emotional demands.
Strengthen emotional support
The health crisis emphasized the importance of creating a sturdy emotional support system for healthcare staff. Beatriu Castells, responsible for the area of occupational health and health of the Anoia Health Consortium, emphasizes that one of the great lessons of Covid-19 has been the need to attend to the mental health of professionals.
A sustainable program of emotional well -being
Over time and after overcoming the most critical phases of pandemic, the Emotional Welfare Program has established itself as an indispensable resource for addressing the work and personal needs of professionals. Dr. Castells emphasizes that the goal is now to ensure continuous emotional care and expand initiatives to prevent psychosocial risks.
Empowerment and training
One of the pillars of this program is the empowerment of professionals, providing them with the tools and strategies needed to improve their emotional health. Since the beginning of this project by 2020, around 300 workers have been treated with more than 2,000 psychology and psychiatry sessions.
Reflections on mental health
Josep Checa concludes that pandemic has been an opportunity to advance the understanding of mental health, emphasizing that it is not only crucial to perform physical analysis, but it is also essential to pay attention to emotional well -being, a dimension often forgotten in medical practice.
