Background

Healthcare professionals, especially those working in hospital settings, face extraordinary levels of stress and pressure. Surgical pathways, in particular, are intense, with long hours, complex procedures, and life-or-death decisions becoming a regular part of the job. Over time, these factors contribute to a rise in burnout, stress-related illnesses, and high turnover rates among healthcare workers, impacting not only the professionals but also the quality of patient care.

The COVID-19 pandemic further intensified these stressors, revealing systemic vulnerabilities in healthcare systems across Europe. While some interventions to improve wellbeing and resilience exist, there is still a significant gap in understanding what combination of solutions works best, especially in high-stress, surgical environments. Many healthcare workers continue to experience job dissatisfaction, mental exhaustion, and disengagement from their roles due to the lack of comprehensive support.

Aim

In response to these challenges, the KEEPCARING project was initiated with the goal of fundamentally improving the well-being of healthcare professionals across the European Union. The project seeks to co-create a comprehensive solution package that integrates:

  • Non-digital tools
  • Digital interventions
  • AI-powered solutions

These tools are specifically designed to reduce stress and enhance resilience in healthcare workers at every level—individuals, teams, and organizations.

KEEPCARING not only focuses on current healthcare providers but also addresses the needs of aspiring professionals, such as students and trainees, who are preparing for demanding hospital careers. By tackling mental and emotional strain early on, the project aims to build a future healthcare workforce that is:

  • More resilient
  • Highly engaged
  • Better equipped to handle the complex demands of the profession.

Approach

Our multi-sector and interdisciplinary consortium will

  • study stress and stressors experienced by (aspiring) health care providers in their specific setting,
  • evaluate digital and non-digital solutions to reduce stress at an individual and team level,
  • study job crafting among (aspiring) health professionals as a 
way to reduce stress, 

  • and finally, develop a change management platform that, using 
 explainable AI, helps hospital managers as well as surgical 
 caregivers to choose the solutions that match their context.

All solutions as well as the portal will be developed in co-creation with end users, including 2 professional associations in our consortium. In addition, legal and ethical expertise is provided across Partners and in Advisory Board to ensure privacy and ethical guidance in this sensitive context.

Impact

KEEPCARING will provide solutions to improve wellbeing among health care professionals and students, thereby reducing burnout and improving the number of health care students entering the workplace.

Our organisational solutions will empower individuals and employers to understand and act on stressful situations in their specific setting. Cost-effectiveness analyses will be used for policy recommendations to ensure sustainable uptake among policy makers, funders, and employers.