Determinants of workload-related clinician stress levels in general hospital consultation liaison psychiatry services during the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Ireland. Short report.

To explore workload-related stress levels experienced by consultation liaison psychiatry (CLP) staff in England and Ireland, and factors relevant to such a burden, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were obtained for England and Ireland from a European survey among CLP services in general hospitals spread via CLP networks (11th June - 3rd October 2021). The heads of respective CLP services in general hospitals responded on behalf of each service, on 100 CLP hospital staff in total. workload-related stress levels in CLP services due to COVID-19 (0-10 point scale). hospital size, CLP service size, degree of hospital involvement in COVID-19-related care, and the number of support options available to hospital staff. Spearman's rho correlation analyses were performed. There was a significant association between the hospital's involvement in COVID-19-related care and workload-related stress levels as reported by CLP staff: r(22) = 0.41, p = 0.045, R Our findings suggest that perceived workload-related stress levels of CLP staff during the COVID-19 pandemic can be an indicator of COVID-19 involvement of the hospitals. Staff support seemed not to alleviate work stress in the context of the pandemic. Healthcare policies should improve working conditions for CLP hospital staff that play an essential role from a population health perspective. Rigorous measures may be needed to ensure mental healthcare provision remains tenable and sustainable in the long term.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Over the last 3 years, CFC received funding for The European Platform to Promote Wellbeing and Health in the workplace (EMPOWER), a European project to reduce the impact of mental health problems at the workplace, from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 848180. She received grants from The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, grant number 537001002 and 5370010021, from NIHR, grant number 132852 and COV-LT2–0043, and from the BMA, for unrelated projects. She received royalties from several publishers for books on the topic of psychiatry. She received an honorarium from Janssen for speaking at a symposium and support for giving a lecture at the Lloyds Foundation annual conference 2019. JS received funding for EMPOWER from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 848180. GM received funding from the Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung & Gottfried und Julia Bangerter-Rhyner-Stiftung under project no. PC 05/18, from Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz under project no. 18.191/K50001, from the Swiss Heart Foundation under project no. FF21101, from the Research Foundation of the International Psychoanalytic University (IPU) Berlin under project no. 5217, from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under budget item 68606, from the Hasler Foundation under project No. 23004, in the context of a Horizon Europe project from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and lnnovation (SERI) under contract number 22.00094, and from Wings Health in the context of a proof-of-concept study. He received royalties from Springer, and an honorarium from Lundbeck for speaking at a symposium. He is a co-founder, member of the board and shareholder of Therayou AG, active in digital and blended mental healthcare. He is compensated for providing psychotherapy to patients, acting as a supervisor, serving as a self-experience facilitator (‘Selbsterfahrungsleiter’), and for postgraduate training of psychotherapists, psychosomatic specialist, and supervisors. FV received funding from German Cancer Aid, Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung/ Deutsche Leukämie-Forschungs-Hilfe and Innovationsfonds for studies including coaching, communication and communication trainings. He received royalties for book chapters regarding communication. He is a member of EAPM and has founded the special interest group (sig) transplantation medicine of the EAPM. He is one of the spokesmen of this sig. He is spokesman of the Dt. Kollegium für Psychosomatische Medizin (DKPM) and the Dt. Gesellschaft für Psychosomatische Medizin und Ärztliche Psychotherapie (DGPM) for Consultation and Liaison Psychosomatics; of the Dt. Kollegium für Psychosomatische Medizin (DKPM) and the Dt. Gesellschaft für Psychosomatische Medizin und Ärztliche Psychotherapie (DGPM) for transplantation medicine, and of the working group for communication of the psychooncology work group (PSO) of German Cancer Society (DKG). He is compensated for acting as a trainer for postgraduate training of communication trainings. CF received funding from the Austrian Science Fund for project KLI 1100. He is current president of the Austrian Society of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapeutic Medicine (ÖGPPM). He is compensated for acting as a trainer for communication in healthcare and for postgraduate training of psychosomatic medicine and as a supervisor. RS received funding from the Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung & Gottfried und Julia Bangerter-Rhyner-Stiftung under project no. PC 05/18, from Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz under project no. 18.191/K50001, from the Swiss Heart Foundation under project no. FF21101, in the context of a Horizon Europe project from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and lnnovation (SERI) under contract number 22.00094, and from Wings Health in the context of a proof-of-concept study. He received royalties from the publishing houses Kohlhammer and Springer. He received an honorarium from Novartis for speaking at a symposium. He is member of the scientific advisory Board of the Swiss Academy of Psychosomatic and Psychosocial Medicine. He is spokesman of the Dt. Kollegium für Psychosomatische Medizin (DKPM) and the Dt. Gesellschaft für Psychosomatische Medizin und Ärztliche Psychotherapie (DGPM) for Consultation and Liaison Psychosomatics. He is founder and managing director of the “Psychosomatic and Psychosocial Services GmbH”, active in psychosomatic and psychosocial training and further education and member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Psychosomatics and Social Medicine (Ascona Foundation). He is compensated for acting as a trainer for postgraduate training of psychosomatic medicine and as a supervisor. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.