News & Blog

A new program launched this summer from the Center fulfilling a long time need at Duke. The Peer Support program was developed by Administrative Director, Melissa Segal and is now led by her and McLean Pollock; Director of the PiCASO Peer Coaching Programs and Assistant Professor for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

The Duke Peer Support Program trains volunteer colleagues to support their peers. Peer Support Volunteers (PSV’s) listen, help their peers process their experiences, and identify appropriate resources as needed. Duke Health team members can take the 2-hour training and gain approval from their supervisor to begin the process of becoming a PSV.

When employees are facing stressors in their personal or professional life, they can chat confidentially with a colleague and seek appropriate resources. Duke employees can access peer support by visiting hsq.dukehealth.org/psv.

Learn more about the peer support program or become a volunteer here.

The Center’s own Drs. Rehder, Adair, and Sexton published “The Science of Health Care Worker Burnout” in the Archives of Pathology just last week. Health care worker well-being has been the leading concern in medicine given the severity and robust links to outcomes such as medical error, mortality, and turnover.

There is a continued need to help health care workers. In the article, they summarize the early intervention strategies and point toward future research to evaluate these interventions using standardized metrics.

Read the full article here.

The Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality is excited to officially launch our new virtual 10-week Well-being Ambassador Training. Led by experts, Dr. Bryan Sexton and Dr. Carrie Adair, healthcare workers can learn about the science and practice of well-being for themselves and others, for only one hour a week!

Pandemic exhaustion is severe but treatable! Compared to
anxiety and depression, burnout is relatively easy to treat using
bite sized strategies. These strategies can enhance your well-being, and through sharing, the well-being of your co-workers.

The virtual training begins September 21st and runs until November 23rd. Up to 10 hours of CEU/ANCC credit will be available

To enroll or learn more, visit our Resilience & Well-being page.

The Center’s very own Dr. Carrie Adar, Dr. Bryan Sexton, and their colleagues published a new article, Randomized controlled trial of the “WISER” intervention to reduce heatlhcare worker burnout, in the Journal of Perinatology on Monday.

The WISER (Web-based Implementation for the Science of Enhancing Resilience) intervention is made up of six guided well-being modules based on learning principles which combine educational material with practice-based learning. These modules are feasible and practical with most completing in under 20 minutes.

WISER was implemented to reduce healthcare worker burnout and after this randomized controlled trial, WISER appeared to do just that.

Read the article about how WISER improved healthcare worker well-being here.

 

This week, HSQ was featured in two articles from The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley and The Joint Commission.

Dr. Carrie Adair was quoted in Greater Good Science Magazine’s article Can Practicing Gratitude Boost Nurses’ Resilience?, highlighting the importance of gratitude through well-being tools such as writing a gratitude letter or three good things. Adair’s 2019 study with Dr. Bryan Sexton (Duke) and Dr. Lindsay Kennedy (Hendrix College) found that using these tools provided promising interventions in healthcare worker burnout. Read Three Good Tools: Positively reflecting backwards and forwards is associated with robust improvements in well-being across three distinct interventions. To enroll in a tool, visit our Well-being Tools page.

On Wednesday, The Joint Commission highlighted in their blog Dr. Sexton and Dr. Adair’s publication Perceptions of Institutional Support for “Second Victims” Are Associated with Safety Culture and Workforce Well-Being. Their research reminds us that second victim support is an unmet need, but when we offer that support, second victims report an improved well-being.

Here is a listing of national health organizations and their COVID-19 resource pages. Special thanks to our team members at Duke University for compiling this list.

Looking for free well-being resources? See the Resources page for tons of resources ranging from free fitness videos and meditations to public art installations and webinars.

• American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry COVID-19 Resources
• American Psychological Association (APA) COVID-19 Information and Resources
• American Psychiatric Association (APA) COVID-19 Resources
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Sharable Resources on Coping with COVID-19)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Mental Health America (MHA) Mental Health and COVID-19 Information and Resources
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Resources for Families and Caregivers
• National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Resources for Managing Stress during COVID-19

We’re sharing a great list of childcare and online learning-related resources compiled by our Duke University team members:

• Durham Public Schools Learning Centers – Expanded, day-long version of DPS before-and-after school programs. Students attending the learning centers will receive high quality child supervision from 7am to 6pm Monday through
• YMCA Scholastic Support Centers – Places where K-8 students can go to participate in their online school or Virtual Academy classes. The program is offered either Monday through Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm, with an extended day option, or as a full-day program from 7:30am to
• YMCA Learning Labs – Online homework sessions for students in grades K-5
• Durham Parks & Recreation School-Aged Care Program – Remote learning support program and after school program for youth ages 5-12 to provide a fun, safe and productive learning experience at various recreation centers throughout the
• Duke List Directory – Supporting Faculty & Staff during COVID-19 – Forum for listing and finding resources related to child care, elder care, pet care,
• NC Department of Health & Human Services Child Care Information for Families, including the Childcare Hotline (888-600-1685), which helps match parents and caregivers with unmet childcare needs to high-quality, safe childcare for infants through children age
• Childcare, Eldercare and Summer Camps – Compiled by the School of Medicine

We’re sharing a great list of resources related to race and mental health that our colleagues at Duke University have put together below. For additional mental health resources, see our Self-Directed Resources page. For additional resources on race, equity, and representation, see this page.

• Black Virtual Wellness Directory (including therapists)
• Selected local (NC Triangle area) mental health providers of color
• Black Men Heal – Limited and selective free mental health service opportunities for Black men.
• Black Mental Health Alliance – Provides information and resources and a “Find a Therapist” locator to connect with a culturally competent mental health professional.
• Black Mental Wellness – Provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, as well as training opportunities for students and professionals.
• Black Women’s Health Imperative – Organization advancing health equity and social justice for Black women through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development.
• Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation – BLHF has launched the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign to raise money for mental health services provided by licensed clinicians in our network. Individuals with life-changing stressors and anxiety related to the coronavirus will have the cost for up to five (5) individual sessions defrayed on a first come, first serve basis until all funds are committed or exhausted.
• Brother You’re on My Mind – An initiative launched by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and NIMHD to raise awareness of the mental health challenges associated with depression and stress that affect Black men and families. Website offers an online toolkit that provides Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters with the materials needed to educate fellow fraternity brothers and community members on depression and stress in Black
• Ebony’s Mental Health Resources by State – List of Black-owned and focused mental health resources by state as compiled by Ebony magazine.
• Henry Health – Provides culturally sensitive self-care support and teletherapy for Black men and their families. Currently in pilot program available only to residents of MD, VA and residents of other states can join their waiting list and will be notified when Henry Health is available in their state.
• Melanin and Mental Health – Connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities. Promotes the growth and healing of diverse communities through its website, online directory and events.
• Ourselves Black – Provides information on promoting mental health and developing positive coping mechanisms through a podcast, online magazine and online discussion groups.
• POC Online Classroom – Contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements.
• Sista Afya – Organization that provides mental wellness education, resource connection and community support for Black women.
• Therapy for Black Girls – Online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. Offers listing of mental health professionals across the country who provide high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls, an informational podcast and an online support community.
• The SIWE Project – Non-profit dedicated to promoting mental health awareness throughout the global Black community.
• The Steve Fund – Organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well- being of young people of color.
• Unapologetically Us – Online community for Black women to seek support.

The annual Duke Health Quality & Safety Conference may been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we still wanted to recognize all the outstanding  (and award-winning!) posters accepted for the 2020 event. Duke team members (login required) can now view all of the posters in a brand-new virtual poster session, complete with search filters and a welcome message from Dr. Jon Bae.

See the Virtual Poster Session here (Duke Login required)

Recently, volunteers from the Duke Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) Oversight Committee and Patient & Family Engagement Coordinator Shannon Haney helped Duke Primary Care package food for families in need. The group put together 200 packages of food, which were distributed to over 50 families. Thank you to all the PFAC volunteers for their help!

Learn more about the Duke PFACs