The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers:study protocol for the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study

BACKGROUND: Preliminary country-specific reports suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the mental health of the healthcare workforce. In this paper, we summarize the protocol of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study, an ongoing, global initiative, aimed to describe and track longitudinal trajectories of mental health symptoms and disorders among health care workers at different phases of the pandemic across a wide range of countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle-East, and Asia. METHODS: Participants from various settings, including primary care clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health facilities, are being enrolled. In 26 countries, we are using a similar study design with harmonized measures to capture data on COVID-19 related exposures and variables of interest during two years of follow-up. Exposures include potential stressors related to working in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as sociodemographic and clinical factors. Primary outcomes of interest include mental health variables such as psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Other domains of interest include potentially mediating or moderating influences such as workplace conditions, trust in the government, and the country’s income level. RESULTS: As of August 2021, ~ 34,000 health workers have been recruited. A general characterization of the recruited samples by sociodemographic and workplace variables is presented. Most participating countries have identified several health facilities where they can identify denominators and attain acceptable response rates. Of the 26 countries, 22 are collecting data and 2 plan to start shortly. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the most extensive global studies on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a variety of countries with diverse economic realities and different levels of severity of pandemic and management. Moreover, unlike most previous studies, we included workers (clinical and non-clinical staff) in a wide range of settings. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00127-021-02211-9

Cooperativas de cuidado e desenvolvimento territorial: Reflexões sobre um projeto promovido na cidade de Trelew, Chubut, Argentina

El presente artículo propone reflexionar y presentar una sistematización del avance del proyecto “Trelew Ciudad de Cuidados: hacia una red de cooperativas de trabajo que promuevan el desarrollo local sostenible” impulsado desde la Universidad del Chubut durante 2019 y 2020. Dicho proyecto de investigación-acción responde a necesidades de la ciudad, asociadas a cambios poblacionales, culturales y económicos, que generan un aumento en las necesidades de cuidado a grupos poblacionales específicos, como son las personas mayores, las personas con discapacidad y los niños y niñas. A través del trabajo articulado y la corresponsabilidad entre la Universidad, el Estado Municipal y Provincial, así como organizaciones de la comunidad, se ha propuesto desarrollar una respuesta colectiva y participativa en pos de promover el desarrollo productivo local, incorporando la perspectiva de género y promoviendo modelos de gestión innovadores. Se busca así, visibilizar y reconocer la importancia del trabajo del cuidado, el cual está atravesado por una historia de desigualdad distributiva de responsabilidades, con una fuerte inequidad hacia las mujeres, generando disparidades en el sistema comunitario. Partiendo del conocimiento local sobre la problemática, el proyecto ha desarrollado un proceso de capacitación y actualmente se encuentra acompañando e incubando cooperativas de trabajo que brinden servicios de cuidados, conformadas por colectivos en situación de vulnerabilidad. En este trabajo se procura entonces retomar y problematizar los grandes ejes conceptuales sobre los que se fundamenta el proyecto, así como presentar algunos resultados parciales de la ejecución del mismo