Burnout and mental health concerns are prevalent among healthcare workers. Female physicians, nurses, and healthcare staff are at a higher risk of suicide than the general population. Burnout and depression have been known to coexist with suicidal ideation and behaviors.
To identify what is known about the relationship between burnout and depression in the context of suicide among healthcare workers.
Registered scoping review of English language articles indexed to CINAHL, PubMed, and PsychInfo databases with date of publication prior to March 5, 2024.
The review yielded nine eligible studies, all employing observational or descriptive methodologies. Depression was found to be a predictor of suicidal ideation. While burnout was associated with depressive symptoms and found to coexist with suicidal ideation, it was not predictive of ideation. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were key components of burnout linked to depression. No studies were found exploring survivorship factors in healthcare professionals. Suggested prevention strategies that need to be tested include mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral skills training, improved workplace conditions, addressing loneliness, and fostering resilience.
Interventional studies are needed to test strategies addressing burnout, depression, suicidal behaviors, and survivorship of suicide attempts. Depression should be considered and evaluated when healthcare workers exhibit symptoms of burnout. Moreover, the Socio-economic Model of Suicide Prevention (i.e., SESM) can be used to categorize suicide prevention measures in healthcare. Burnout and depression interact to influence mental health outcomes among healthcare professionals, with depression playing a more significant role in predicting suicidal ideation. Despite the demonstrated relationships, critical gaps in knowledge exist in understanding survivorship and in the development and testing of effective interventions. Future interventional multisite research is needed using validated tools to identify best practices in suicide prevention for healthcare professionals.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) has emerged as one of the most common cancers, with increasing survival rates globally. As patients with CRC experience diverse treatment effects corresponding to different survival stages, understanding their unmet needs based on the survival stage is critical to tailor supportive care with limited medical resources.
This study aimed to understand the unmet needs of patients with CRC across survival stages.
This scoping review followed the 5-stage framework established by Arksey and O'Malley. Five online databases were searched with narrative synthesis performed after data extraction.
Fifteen studies were identified for this review, with 12 focusing on the acute survival stage and three reporting on the extended survival stage. Ten studies used validated scales to assess unmet needs, with the Supportive Care Needs Survey being the most common scale. Unmet needs in patients with CRC demonstrate distinct patterns across survival stages. Most studies reported a higher prevalence of unmet needs during the extended survival stage compared to the acute survival stage. Unmet emotional needs predominate during the acute survival stage, whereas unmet physical needs become most prominent in the extended survival stage.
Healthcare providers are encouraged to conduct assessments tailored to the specific survival stage, with particular emphasis on addressing unmet needs during the extended survival stage. The development of standardized scales is recommended to comprehensively assess the unmet needs of patients with CRC.