The effects of stress reduction for healthcare workers on COVID units

ABSTRACT

The rise of the COVID pandemic was a surprise to many. Since Florence Nightingale, society has suffered from various epidemic infectious diseases. This specific educational project was developed because of the stress and the aftereffects experienced by many healthcare workers coping with the working conditions related to COVID. This educational project is important because according to the World Health Organization, a healthy environment is a place for physical, mental, and social well-being, which supports optimal health and safety. Healthcare workers should be provided an educational program to assist them in minimizing stress. Havelock's and Lewin's theory of change was chosen to assist with the project. In addition, an expert panelist which consisted of employees with over 20 years' experience in their field while utilizing the AGREE II score chart was used to evaluate the efficiency of this educational project yielding a means score of 93%. The practice- focused statement for this staff education project was to evaluate and design a staff education program that was accessible for employees. This program was implemented to improve the coping mechanism of the staff, thereby increasing the staff's knowledge, with the goal of reducing stress on the COVID unit. The evidence based on the AGREE II Score experts supports that working in a COVID environment is very stressful and providing a complete education program can reduce the stressors and support a positive social change within this population of healthcare providers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)