Vol. 14 No. 2 (2021): A Year after the Pandemic
Articles

Culturally-tailored Peer Support for Doctors and Nurses of Indian Origin

Sunil Daga
BAPIO
Viju Varadarajan
British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
Rajeev Metri
British Indian Nurses Association
Rajeev Gupta
National Forum for Health and Well-being

Published 2021-07-08

Keywords

  • Peer Support,
  • Healthcare workers,
  • psychological distress,
  • Culturally tailored,
  • South Asians

How to Cite

Daga, S., Varadarajan, V., Dwaraknath, M., Hosdurga, S., Metri, R., & Gupta, R. (2021). Culturally-tailored Peer Support for Doctors and Nurses of Indian Origin . Sushruta Journal of Health Policy & Opinion, 14(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.38192/14.2.10

Abstract

The mental health and well-being needs of healthcare workers have risen sharply, fuelled by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Migrant healthcare workers are affected not only by events in the country where they work but also by events in countries where their family and friends reside. Despite, increase in psychological distress, migrant HCWs don’t use the existing resources to support their needs.

 

This paper summarises discussions from the workshop focusing on reasons/barriers in uptake of mental health and well-being resources in the UK, the scope of peer support initiatives and its boundaries in supporting colleagues in the UK and India. Finally, it makes recommendations on the governance structure and checklist when organising peer support for healthcare workers. 

References

  1. Covid19.who.int. 2021 [cited June 2021]. WHO Coronavirus Dashboard. [online] Available at: <https://covid19.who.int/>.
  2. Liberati E, Richards N, Willars J, et al. A qualitative study of experiences of NHS mental healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. BMC Psychiatry 2021;21.
  3. Prajapati R, Liebling H. Accessing Mental Health Services: a Systematic Review and Meta-ethnography of the Experiences of South Asian Service Users in the UK. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2021.
  4. Greenberg N, Weston D, Hall C, et al. Mental health of staff working in intensive care during Covid-19. Occupational Medicine 2021;71(2):62-67.
  5. Gardner T, Fraser C. Longer waits, missing patients and catching up [Internet]. health.org.uk. 2021 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/how-is-elective-care-coping-with-the-continuing-impact-of-covid-19
  6. Pathare S, Kalha J, Krishnamoorthy S. Peer support for mental illness in India: an underutilised resource. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2018;27(5):415-419.
  7. Singh R, Bajpai R, Kaswan P. COVID-19 pandemic and psychological wellbeing among health care workers and general population: A systematic-review and meta-analysis of the current evidence from India. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health 2021;11.
  8. Banerjee D, Sathyanarayana Rao T, Kallivayalil R, et al. Psychosocial Framework of Resilience: Navigating Needs and Adversities During the Pandemic, A Qualitative Exploration in the Indian Frontline Physicians. Front Psychol 2021;12.
  9. Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N et al. Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open 2020;3(3).
  10. British Medical Association. BMA survey reveals almost half of doctors have relied upon donated or self-bought PPE and two thirds still don’t feel fully protected. 2020 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/bma-survey-reveals-almost-half-of-doctors-have-relied-upon-donated-or-self-bought-ppe-and-two-thirds-still-don-t-feel-fully-protected
  11. Ford S. Exclusive: Nursing Times survey reveals negative impact of Covid-19 on nurse mental health. Nursing Times [Internet]. 2020 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/mental-health/exclusive-survey-reveals-negative-impact-of-covid-19-on-nurse-mental-health-29-04-2020/
  12. Mass exodus of NHS doctors predicted by survey. ier.org.uk. 2020 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.ier.org.uk/news/mass-exodus-of-nhs-doctors-predicted-by-survey/
  13. Ford M. Level of staff burnout ‘real concern’ for NHS trust leaders. Nursing Times [Internet]. 2020 [cited June 2021].. Available from: https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/level-of-staff-burnout-real-concern-for-nhs-trust-leaders-06-10-2020/
  14. Salari N, Khazaie H, Hosseinian-Far A, et al. The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-regression. Hum Resour Health 2020;18(1).
  15. Wingate L, Graffy J, Holman D, et al. Can peer support be cost saving? An economic evaluation of RAPSID: a randomized controlled trial of peer support in diabetes compared to usual care alone in East of England communities. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 2017;5(1).
  16. Peer support in mental health and learning disability [Internet]. London: Mental Health Foundation; 2012 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/need_2_know_peer_support1.pdf
  17. Penney D. Defining “Peer Support”: Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research [Internet]. Sudbury: Advocates for Human Potential Inc.; 2018 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.ahpnet.com/AHPNet/media/AHPNetMediaLibrary/White%20Papers/DPenney_Defining_peer_support_2018_Final.pdf
  18. Jonikas J, Kiosk S, Grey D, et al. Cultural competency in peer-run programs: Results of a web survey and implications for future practice. Psychiatr Rehabil J 2010;34(2):121-129.
  19. Finch J. SUDS Thermometer. ccp.net.au. 2018 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://ccp.net.au/suds-thermometer/
  20. Goldberg D, Gater R, Sartorius N, et al. The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental illness in general health care. Psychol Med 1997;27(1):191-197.
  21. Frates B. PAVING the Path to Wellness. Boston: Harvard University; 2017 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/-/media/feature/media/download-document/dublin/about/schools-faculties-and-departments/centre-for-positive-psychology-and-health/science-of-health-and-happiness/rcsi-science-of-happiness---paving-the-path-to-wellness.pdf
  22. Repper J, Carter T. A review of the literature on peer support in mental health services. J Ment Health 2011;20(4):392-411.
  23. Docherty M. What has Covid-19 taught us about supporting workforce mental health and wellbeing? [Internet]. The King's Fund. 2020 [cited June 2021].. Available from: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2020/06/covid-19-supporting-workforce-mental-health
  24. Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care. Thriving at work: The Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers. London: Public Health England; 2017 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-a-review-of-mental-health-and-employers
  25. van Pelt F. Peer support: healthcare professionals supporting each other after adverse medical events. Qual Saf Health Care 2008;17(4):249-252.
  26. Blake H, Gupta A, Javed M, et al. COVID-Well Study: Qualitative Evaluation of Supported Wellbeing Centres and Psychological First Aid for Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18(7).
  27. Counselling and peer support for doctors and medical students [Internet]. bma.org.uk. 2021 [cited June 2021]. Available from: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/your-wellbeing/wellbeing-support-services/counselling-and-peer-support-services