Creating a Safe Space Toolkit and Guideline
Healthcare leaders and policy makers can use the Creating a Safe Space tools to develop, implement or improve healthcare worker support models (for example, a peer support program). In it you will find tools, resources and templates from organizations across the globe who have successfully implemented their own models.
- Topics
- Health workforce
- Patient safety
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We developed, and updated in 2020, this toolkit in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada. It is a part of a comprehensive guide, Creating a Safe Space: Strategies to Address the Psychological Safety of Healthcare Workers.
Toolkit focus and categories
We built the Creating a Safe Space: Healthcare Worker Support Toolkit by selecting useful documents and examples from existing peer support programs for healthcare providers, with input from experts and contributing organizations. We sorted these practical resources into three tables – peer support, psychological self-care and moral distress – and listed the source organization, title and a short description for each.
The resource categories are:
Background – background context on the importance of psychological health and safety in healthcare, and the value of peer support.
Program description – overviews of existing peer support programs.
Program development tool – useful when developing a peer support program; these tools include checklists and templates to help you get started.
Policy document – examples from various peer support programs.
Recruitment – role descriptions, documents and templates that can help you recruit peer supporters for a program.
Training resources – documentation from training programs and links to established external training on mental health and peer support for healthcare providers.
Documentation template – for documenting interactions between peer supporters and their peer.
Promotional material – examples of brochures and flyers used to promote peer support programs.
Evaluation tool – to evaluate satisfaction and impact of a peer support program.
Testimonial – videos and podcasts from healthcare providers and patients about the importance of psychological health and safety and of peer support.
We have not made a complete inventory of every healthcare worker support model/resource available; we will update the toolkit regularly to ensure it remains relevant. Please use your discretion in selecting which tools are most appropriate for your context. We welcome feedback on what is helpful, what can be improved and content enhancements at info@hec-esc.ca.
Creating a Safe Space – Strategies to Address the Psychological Safety of Healthcare Workers
Cumulative stress, compassion fatigue and trauma due to experiences with patient safety incidents impact the mental wellness of healthcare providers. These factors contribute to preventable patient safety incidents, mental health issues and attrition, which compromise patient safety. Peer support programs (and other support models) help healthcare workers recover, restore and build resilience after patient safety incidents. They also improve the system and help make care safer.
Guideline focus and categories
The Creating a Safe Space – Strategies to Address the Psychological Safety of Healthcare Workers guideline is intended to assist healthcare organizations to support their healthcare workers by creating peer support programs (PSPs) or other models of support.
The guideline provides a comprehensive overview of what healthcare worker support models are available in Canada and internationally. It outlines best practice, and tools and resources that policy-makers, accreditation bodies, regulators and healthcare leaders can use to assess the support needs of healthcare workers.