This study forms Phase 1 of the Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Healthcare Workers and Their Families project.

Continuum of Care

  • Prevention
  • Treatment
  • Continuing Care
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Lifecourse

  • Pregnancy
  • Infancy
  • Toddlerhood
  • Childhood
  • Adolescence
  • Young Adulthood
  • Middle Adulthood
  • Late Adulthood
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This project will begin with a Delphi study to identify and prioritize the mental health and well-being needs of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) and their families. The Delphi method is particularly well-suited for this research because it allows for structured input from a group of experts—in this case, HCWs and their families—over multiple rounds, aiming to reach a consensus on key support priorities and intervention preferences.  

Through interviews and surveys, we will explore: 

  • What mental health and wellbeing supports are needed by HCWs and their families? 

  • What types of family supports are most beneficial for maintaining healthy family relationships? 

  • What would a helpful intervention look like in terms of format, content, and delivery? 

The Delphi study will be the first stage of this research and will be conducted over two rounds, with the option of a third round if consensus is not reached. The first round will involve qualitative interviews with HCWs and their families to help us obtain rich insights into their support needs, preferences, and perspectives and to develop a holistic understanding of specific support materials, strategies, and formats that are seen as important, relevant, and effective among this group.  

This will be analysed to identify key terms and themes informing a list of preferred supports that will be utilised in the second round of the Delphi study. This will involve HCWs and their families completing a survey ranking the list of supports according to importance, feasibility, and overall value.  

The Delphi study will be complete if a high level of consensus is reached between HCWs and their family’s preferred supports. If consensus is not reached, then the list will be revised and presented to participants for a final ranking. The final results from the Delphi study will be presented and disseminated. 

After gathering this data, this feedback will inform Phase 2 of the project.