Future Proofing Health- and Care Systems Safeguarding Health Care Workers in Hospital Settings

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals working in hospitals and those in training to embark on hospital careers experience high levels of stress, especially in the surgical pathways. While interventions to improve wellbeing and resilience exist, not much is known about the right (combination of) intervention(s) for this specific setting. AIM: KEEPCARING aims to (re-)build wellbeing and resilience of healthcare workforce in EU hospitals by co-creating a multi-faceted non-digital, digital and AI-supported solution package to prevent burnout among (aspirant) healthcare professionals on the individual, team, and organisational level. APPROACH: Our multi-sector and interdisciplinary consortium will (1) study stress and stressors experienced by (aspiring) health care providers in their specific setting, (2) evaluate digital and non-digital solutions to reduce stress at an individual and team level, (3) study job crafting among (aspiring) health professionals as a way to reduce stress, and (4) finally, develop a change management platform that, using explainable AI, helps hospital managers as well as surgical caregivers to choose the solutions that match their context. All solutions as well as the portal will be developed in co-creation with end users, including 2 professional associations in our consortium. In addition, legal and ethical expertise is provided across Partners and in Advisory Board to ensure privacy and ethical guidance in this sensitive context. IMPACT: KEEPCARING will provide solutions to improve wellbeing among health care professionals and students, thereby reducing burnout and improving the number of health care students entering the workplace. Our organisational solutions will empower individuals and employers to understand and act on stressful situations in their specific setting. Cost-effectiveness analyses will be used for policy recommendations to ensure sustainable uptake among policy makers, funders, and employers.