Advancing resilience in healthcare
Exploring physiological and psychological responses to stress
14/02/2025 | Luis Silva, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
Healthcare professionals often face intense work environments that impact their well-being and performance. Resilience, which refers to the ability to adapt and recover from stress, is essential for maintaining effective care delivery. While traditional assessments rely on subjective self-reports, integrating physiological biomarkers offers a more objective, real-time understanding of how the body responds to stress. However, current methods are often invasive or limited to laboratory settings, restricting their practical application in clinical environments.
One of the research lines within the KEEPCARING project investigates how physiological and psychological responses to stress interact and differ between resilient and less resilient healthcare professionals. The study examines physiological and psychological responses in both rest and work periods to identify objective markers of resilience and their connection to psychological well-being.
The research has two key objectives: understanding how the body and mind respond to stress in resilient versus less resilient individuals, and identifying early warning signs through physical and mental indicators to develop real-time monitoring tools to quantify work-related stress exposure.
Using Hexoskin smart shirts, a wearable technology equipped with integrated sensors, the study enables continuous, non-invasive monitoring of key physiological markers. These smart garments collect real-time data on heart rate variability, cardiovascular reactivity, and respiratory patterns without disrupting participants’ daily routines. Comfortable and lightweight, Hexoskin shirts are designed for everyday wear, making them ideal for tracking physiological responses during both work and rest. This approach supports KEEPCARING’s goal of developing personalised, data-driven methods to detect stress early and build resilience among healthcare professionals.
The study will investigate psychophysiological changes in nurses and medical staff working in surgical wards, examining differences between resilient and less resilient individuals. Artificial intelligence models will be developed to classify and predict resilience levels, providing insights into physiological patterns associated with stress adaptation. Additionally, the study will identify factors contributing to resilience and work-related stress, aiming to enhance strategies for stress management in clinical environments.
Next steps include a deeper analysis of the collected data to refine resilience assessment models. Results will be shared through workshops and conferences, contributing to intervention strategies within the KEEPCARING framework. Future research may expand to additional healthcare settings, further advancing understanding of resilience and its role in sustaining a healthy healthcare workforce.
