COVID-19 Impact on the Physical and Mental Well-Being of IPs

Infection Preventionists (IPs) have been integral in managing the COVID-19 crisis, and the challenges have been immense. IPs that had better workplace wellness support had better physical and mental well-being outcomes, highlighting the need for healthcare organizations to do better when it comes to promoting mental and physical health among all workers.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine RISE Program

The Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) peer support team and Johns Hopkins Medicine was tasked with organizing support for all staff during the COVID-19 pandemic through in-person and virtual support, training additional peer responders and proactively rounding on actively involved units. The partnership between RISE and the Infection Prevention team was essential and unique to the Hopkins experience. RISE continues to be an integral part of the ongoing pandemic and associated worker exhaustion and distress that persists well beyond the acute pandemic phase.

Caring for Healthcare Workers During a Crises

The American Medical Association (AMA) proposes a framework for support systems during emergencies such as the pandemic to enhance the resilience of the organization. While written with physicians in mind, it can be adapted to many other disciplines.