Human Resources Management: Managing Mental Health of Healthcare Workers

Abstract

This study synthesizes the current evidence on mental health management of healthcare workers (HCWs), comparing individual and organizational intervention approaches, and contextualizes findings within the Ukrainian healthcare setting. The subject of the study encompasses evidence-based strategies targeting burnout, anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and insomnia in HCW populations across diverse clinical contexts. A structured narrative review was conducted using a systematic search strategy informed by systematic review principles: peer-reviewed systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and primary studies published between 2016 and 2025 were identified through PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and studies meeting inclusion criteria were synthesized. The evidence confirms that organizational interventions — including workload reduction, flexible scheduling, leadership support, and PPE availability — show a more consistent pattern of improvement than single-modality individual coping programs, with more than two thirds of controlled studies of organizational interventions reporting improvements in at least one primary outcome, most consistently burnout; mindfulness-based programs show the most reliable individual-level signal. Among Ukrainian HCWs, burnout prevalence ranges from 20% to 75% depending on specialty and setting, and satisfaction with working conditions is the strongest predictor of mental health outcomes, while COVID-19 pandemic conditions, military conflict, staffing shortages, fear of infection, and low social support are associated with elevated anxiety, depression, insomnia, and trauma-related symptoms; a hybrid online/offline monitoring and counseling model demonstrated particular effectiveness in the Ukrainian context. The findings directly inform healthcare managers, institutional administrators, public health policymakers, and human resource practitioners, with particular relevance for healthcare systems operating under high occupational stress and resource constraints, including military conflict settings. Overall, mental health management of HCWs requires a multi-level approach combining structural organizational reforms with targeted psychological support; for Ukraine, the priority is systemic improvement in working conditions, staffing, and leadership culture.