A new project has been launched to support the mental health of frontline workers during the coronavirus crisis.
Researchers at the University of the Highlands and Islands will use digital technologies to help NHS Highland health and social care staff cope with the impacts of Covid-19.
The six-month programme has secured £44,581 from the Scottish Government as part of a funding package to tackle the virus and its wider effects.
Participants will create personalised mental health ‘toolkits’, which may include exercise and mindfulness techniques, and their mood and anxiety levels will be monitored using an app. They will then receive personal feedback and information about support if needed.
Dr Johannes De Kock, a digital health research fellow and clinical psychologist from the university’s division of rural health and wellbeing, is leading the initiative, supported by university colleagues and NHS Highland practitioners
He said the psychological toll on health and care workers during pandemics can be immense. Research elsewhere during Covid-19 suggests about half of the frontline workforce will experience a diagnosable anxiety or mood disorder.
“As the pandemic continues to sweep across the globe, we know that Scotland’s health and care workforce may face similar distress.
“Our project will use digital technologies to help prevent and treat psychological distress and also aims to enhance the resilience of health and care workers during the coronavirus crisis.”
