Utilizing a Psychological First Aid Team for Trauma-Exposed Outpatient Healthcare Workers

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) carry an increased risk of work-associated traumatic incidents and subsequent mental health concerns. Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed intervention that aims to reduce distress and foster adaptive coping post-trauma. This study evaluates the acceptability and feasibility of implementing an internal peer-based PFA team for trauma-exposed HCWs working in a hospital-affiliated, outpatient healthcare network. Methods: Four PFA methods were developed to enable individualized interventions adapted for diverse clinic settings, delivered by a largely volunteer, internal team. Acceptability was assessed via anonymous post-PFA survey. Feasibility was evaluated in terms of time costs for clinics and facilitators, and budget expenses. Results: From 2020–23, 134 PFA interventions were provided. When participants were surveyed following 32 interventions (18.1% response rate), 92.2% reported feeling moderately to extremely supported and 82.8% reported a moderate to extreme reduction in emotional stress. In 2023, PFA paused clinic operations less than 25% of the time and facilitators contributed less than 1% of their professional time. PFA accounted for less than 0.03% of annual outpatient network budgetary expenses. Conclusions: This study illustrates the frequency of post-trauma support requests for HCWs in outpatient settings and demonstrates the acceptability and feasibility of having an internal team flexibly provide PFA to those impacted.