Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40336039›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2025

Understanding health care workers' mental health needs: insights from a qualitative study on digital interventions.

Anish K Agarwal, Rachel E Gonzales, Lauren Southwick, Devon Schroeder, Meghana Sharma, Lisa Bellini, David A Asch, Nandita Mitra, Mohan Balachandran, Courtney Benjamin Wolk and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Anish K AgarwalDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. Anish.Agarwal@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Rachel E GonzalesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Lauren SouthwickDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Devon SchroederDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Meghana SharmaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Lisa BelliniDepartment of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
David A AschDepartment of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Nandita MitraDepartment of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Mohan BalachandranCenter for Health Care Transformation and Innovation, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Courtney Benjamin WolkDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Emily M Becker-HaimesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Rachel E KishtonCenter for Health Care Transformation and Innovation, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Sarah BeckCenter for Health Care Transformation and Innovation, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Raina M MerchantDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.

Funding

Assessing the effectiveness of a digital platform to support the mental health of healthcare workers in the response and recovery phases of COVID-19R01MH127686 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI MERCHANT, RAINA · 2021 to 2023
$3.4M
Mentoring and Patient Oriented Research in Cardiovascular Health and Digital Data ScienceK24HL157621 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI MERCHANT, RAINA · 2021 to 2025
$615k
NHLBI NIH HHS K24 HL157621NIMH NIH HHS 1R01MH127686-01NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH127686
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

importanceHealth care workers (HCWs) face significant mental health challenges when delivering care and over the span of their careers. Despite growing recognition of these issues, barriers such as stigma, structural limitations, and individual obstacles continue to impede progress in supporting HCWs mental health needs. Digital mental health platforms continue to expand in health systems as they offer novel approaches to address these gaps, but more evidence is needed to understand their reception among HCWs.

objectiveTo examine the perceptions of HCWs regarding their mental health, explore barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health care, and assess their experiences with digital mental health interventions within the context of the pandemic.

designA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with HCWs who participated in a prior randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the impact of a digital mental health platform on anxiety and depression.

settingA large, urban, academic health system.

participantsA purposive sample of 64 HCWs, including physicians, nurses, technicians, administrative staff, and social workers, was recruited. Participants were selected from the upper and lower quartiles of anxiety and depression scores from the parent RCT to capture a range of mental health symptomatology. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The study aimed to identify HCWs' attitudes toward mental health care, barriers to utilizing professional resources, and their experiences with the digital mental health platform at the local institution. A thematic content analysis was used to analyze the interview data.

resultsFive major themes were identified: (1) the evolving mental health challenges during and after the pandemic, (2) individual barriers to accessing care, such as personal coping strategies and familial responsibilities, (3) structural barriers like workload and limited access to mental health clinicians, (4) experiences with digital mental health interventions, including text message-based assessments, and (5) recommendations for future digital health strategies to improve access and reduce stigma.

conclusionDigital mental health interventions provide a promising avenue to support HCWs by reducing stigma and improving access to mental health resources and clinicians. However, personalized and system-level changes are necessary to address the ongoing mental health challenges faced by the workforce.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelHealth PersonnelMental Health ServicesAdultCOVID-19FemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchSocial StigmaTelemedicineDigital healthHealth care worker Well-BeingMental health

Identifiers

PMID40336039
PMCPMC12060553

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.