WHO to survey EU healthcare workers’ mental wellbeing

The World Health Organization Europe has launched an EU-wide survey to collate data from healthcare workers, aiming to better understand the challenges doctors and nurses face in their work environments.   

The European Commission-funded project seeks to evaluate the mental health of healthcare professionals across the 27 EU countries plus Iceland and Norway.    

The survey, the largest of its kind to be undertaken in Europe, is part of the broader partnership between the WHO Europe and the EU to address mental health challenges affecting those in the region and to gather data on the extent of burnout and psychosocial risks in the health and care sectors.     

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of workers across the EU, and the toll is still evident.   

Almost half (44%) of healthcare workers in Europe reported suffering from acute stress and 37% experienced anxiety, according to a recently published report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.     

The report indicated that the overall prevalence of depression in the sector is 33%, while the prevalence of moderate-to-severe insomnia and sleep disturbances has reached 36%. 

Although all workers in the sector reported high rates of mental health conditions, the European agency identified specific subgroups at greater risk, including frontline professionals, and certain occupational profiles such as nurses and residents, hospital workers, young professionals, and female workers.   

Challenges such as the pandemic and the growing shortage of healthcare workers across the EU are contributing to burnout, absenteeism, and the departure of professionals from the workforce, WHO warns.    

“[The upcoming survey] will give policymakers and hospital management a clear picture of the areas they need to focus on to improve healthcare settings for current and future staff,” according to its stated aims.