Roche Diagnostics India has introduced a mobile app that supports the emotional wellbeing of healthcare professionals amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

WHAT IT DOES

According to a press statement, REACH provides healthcare workers access to counselling sessions and self-help content through videos and articles. The app also features self-assessment tools on work-related challenges, parenting and relationship issues, wellness, and self-development.

The app has been made available to clinicians, nurses, lab professionals and patient navigators.

WHY IT MATTERS

Healthcare workers serving on the frontlines against the global pandemic are among the most vulnerable groups at risk of mental health problems. 

Research published last year in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine found a "significant" prevalence of burnout among surveyed Indian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Above half of the respondents said they had pandemic-related burnout, which was more prevalent among females. The study noted that support staff were five times and doctors 1.64 times more likely to experience burnout from the pandemic.

The REACH app has been deployed in select hospitals across India, including Tata Memorial Hospital. It is also being used among members of the United Nurses Association in Maharashtra.

THE LARGER TREND

A recent HIMSS study with Nuance Communications noted how technology can either reduce clinicians' stress or contribute to it, depending on how it is used and effectively incorporated into workflows. Based on the survey, doctors and nurses see that technology such as AI-based documentation solutions could aid them by increasing patient safety, easing workloads, shaping clinical workflows and highlighting aspects of patient records.

While there have not been many wellness solutions targeted for healthcare workers, there are those that help lessen their work burden.

For example, American tech firm athenahealth recently launched its Medical Coding solution that eases the burden of coding-related work of providers.

Avant in Australia has also launched a new app that reminds healthcare practitioners about the renewal of their registrations with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. It was intended to cut administrative burden and compliance risks for practice staff.

ON THE RECORD

"Healthcare professionals are stretched to the limit and are the most vulnerable to mental health issues. It is important to provide these frontline warriors with the tools they need to stay emotionally and mentally fit before they get down to helping patients. The scope of the project will provide mental health support for our frontline caregivers and is an important demonstration of how private sector innovation is critical in the pandemic response," said Narendra Varde, managing director of Roche Diagnostics India and Neighbouring Markets.

"Maintaining the equilibrium between physical and mental health to balance the pressure at the workplace and home front took centre stage during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic. Along with self-motivation, which many front-liners relied on, apps like REACH helped health care workers to explore the inner self, thereby giving a boost to move ahead," Tata Memorial Hospital director Dr Rajendra Badwe also said.