“Psychological PPE”: Promote Health Care Workforce Mental Health and Well-Being

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues with health care professional burnout and workforce well-being and joy in work that will persist.

There is significant interest in health care in the concept of “psychological PPE” (personal protective equipment) — individual and system-level actions owned by unit and team leaders that provide protection and support for staff’s mental health that can be deployed both before providing care and after a shift has ended.

IHI reviewed available evidence for interventions that can help protect staff mental health in the face of extreme working conditions such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and previous pandemics. We synthesized this research into evidence-based “psychological PPE” recommendations for use by staff providing care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The accompanying visual graphic is designed to be posted for staff to see and use daily, and for team leaders to reference and use to create the enabling conditions for key recommendations to be successful. ​

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