Abstract

The World Health Organization has formally recognized that health professionals are at risk of developing mental health problems, especially if they work in public health, primary care, emergency services and intensive care units. One of the main risk factors for developing mental health problems is the exposure to sustained high levels of stress, which is a very common experience among doctors, nurses, nurse assistants, social workers, psychotherapists, and other healthcare providers, even more since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. It is essential to take care of the mental health of health professionals, not only to improve their wellbeing and job satisfaction, but also because the success of their work largely depends on it. While different approaches for reducing stress exist, eHealth interventions have proliferated recently due to their adaptability to the individual’s schedule and the possibility of engaging in the program remotely. In these characteristics lie the potential of such interventions to reach a great number of beneficiaries among health professionals. In this seminar, different already validated eHealth programs will be presented, and a recently developed online program (MINDxYOU, University of Zaragoza, Spain) will be presented. The implications and future directions of these programs will then be discussed.

Biographical note

Adrián Pérez-Aranda is a doctor in Clinical and Health Psychology (University of Barcelona, Spain). He has developed his research in different fields, including fibromyalgia, suicide prevention, and psychotherapy in primary care. In addition, he has published numerous articles focused on the topic of the effectiveness and cost-utility of ‘third wave’ psychotherapies. He is now a postdoctoral researcher for Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (Zaragoza, Spain), participating in different projects related to improving mental health in primary care settings; currently, his main project studies the efficacy and implementation of an online mindfulness-based intervention for reducing stress and promoting mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals. He has clinical experience working in different clinics and foundations, conducting evaluations and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy both on adults and children, and has formation on mindfulness and compassion-based interventions.