September Journal: Peer supporters at risk for emotional exhaustion during COVID-19 pandemic

Peer support is an effective, well-received approach for healthcare professional colleagues who face stress, challenges, and reduced well-being. A new study in the September 2022 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, “The Well-Being of Peer Supporters in a Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study,” suggests that peer supporters may be at risk for emotional exhaustion due to their increased role and involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers conducted surveys among peer supporters from five well-established peer support programs across the United States — ChristianaCare, MedStar Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, University of Missouri Health Care and Johns Hopkins University — to assess secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction (the pleasure derived from helping others) and burnout during the pandemic. Differences in well-being outcomes were analyzed by role, age, years in healthcare, and unit areas. Additionally, qualitative content analysis was performed for open-response questions.

A total of 375 peer supporters completed the survey between spring and summer 2021. Findings showed:

• Most participants recorded low secondary traumatic stress and moderate to high compassion satisfaction.
• Nearly 44% reported concerning levels of emotional exhaustion.
• Compassion satisfaction scored significantly lower and emotional exhaustion significantly higher among the youngest cohort of millennials and Gen Z.
• Both compassion satisfaction and emotional exhaustion differed across career stages.
• Emotional exhaustion was significantly higher in peer supporters working in COVID units than in non-COVID units.

The study proposes that maintaining effective peer support programs during an ongoing pandemic requires healthcare organizations to study and support the well-being of peer supporters. Recommendations to sustain effective peer support programs include:

• Investing in peer support programs.
• Equipping select groups with basic peer support skills and resources.
• Recruiting new peer supporters to maintain capacity and engagement.
• Advocating for healthcare professional needs.

Also featured in the September issue are:

• Development and Validation of a Brief Culture-of-Safety Survey (Northwestern Medicine, Chicago)
• Equity, Where Art Thou? Opportunities to Improve Safety Culture Measurement (editorial)
• Positive Outcomes in a Virtual Partial Hospitalization Program (Northwell Health’s Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, New York)
• Outcomes of Anesthesiologist-Led Care of Patients Following Liver Transplantation During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York)
• Implementing a Toolkit to Improve the Education of Patients on Home-Based Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) (Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore)
• Pandemic Preparedness: COVID-19 Lessons Learned in New York’s Hospitals (open access commentary)
• Factors Associated with Malpractice Claim Payout: An Analysis of Closed Emergency Department Claims (research letter)

Access the Journal.