Developing a Digital Intervention with a Virtual Coach for Frontline Healthcare Workers Treating COVID-19 Patients
Publishable Summary: Smart solutions are needed to tackle the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers who are at high risk of implications in their mental health. An easy-to-access and -use digital intervention is proposed which can be used when they present with high levels of distress.
The aim of the project is to develop and test a theoretically informed (Action and Commitment Therapy) digital intervention including a virtual coach for frontline healthcare workers treating patients with COVID-19. The main objectives are to:
Obj1: Develop the tool’s content and functioning using a co-creation approach where end-users (healthcare workers) and experts (psychologists, web developers, digital health experts) provide feedback in different stages of development on feasibility, functionality and clinical validity.
Obj2: Liaise with stakeholders to establish that the end product will target their needs, the problem and establish a working relationship for future implementation.
Obj3: Pilot the feasibility and acceptability of using the tool to help healthcare workers cope with distress.
The end-product will be tested locally with the potential to use further with a wider group of patients in different countries using the consortium’s wide network of collaborators abroad (e.g. University of Basel, UCL etc.).
Starting date: February 2023
End date: December 2023
The Project Developing a digital intervention with a virtual coach for frontline healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients, is funded by the global Recovery and Resilience Fund by Playtech (https://www.playtech.com/) to assist organisations delivering mental health and wellbeing services around the world.