The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched a regional study in 17 countries in the Americas to learn about the mental health, well-being, and working conditions of nursing and medical professionals.
The research, entitled “Addressing Mental Health Challenges Among Nursing and Medical Professionals in the Region of the Americas,” seeks to generate evidence that will contribute to the development of policies and actions aimed at protecting the mental health of healthcare personnel and improving their working conditions in the region.
The survey will be available until October 30, 2026, and is aimed at nursing and medical professionals who are engaged in clinical practice or providing direct patient care in the participating countries.
The Research Will Make It Possible to Identify Risk Factors
The study is being conducted in Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
PAHO is promoting this regional study by adapting the Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND) questionnaire, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and administered in 27 European Union countries, Iceland, and Norway.
The research will make it possible to gain a better understanding of work-related factors associated with the mental health and well-being of nursing and medical professionals, identify risk and protective factors in their work environments, and generate information that can be compared across the participating countries.
The study is coordinated by PAHO‘s Health Workforce Unit, in collaboration with its Mental Health and Substance Use Unit.
The results will serve as input to guide policies, programs, and interventions aimed at protecting mental health and improving the working conditions of healthcare personnel, in line with PAHO’s Health Workforce Policy 2030.
How to Participate in the PAHO Study
The call for participation is aimed at licensed nursing and medical professionals who are engaged in clinical activities or providing direct patient care in any of the 17 countries included in the study.
Participation consists of completing an online questionnaire on working conditions, well-being, and mental health, which includes aspects related to anxiety, depression, substance use, and workplace factors.
The survey is conducted online and is self-administered. It is estimated to take between 20 and 25 minutes to complete, is available in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, participation is voluntary and anonymous, and the deadline is October 30, 2026.
The research has been approved by PAHO’s Ethics Review Committee. No personally identifiable information is collected, and IP addresses are not recorded. Before beginning the questionnaire, participants must complete the informed consent process.
How Work Environments Have an Impact
In general, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that poor working environments — which, for example, allow discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, insufficient control over work, and job insecurity — pose a risk to mental health.
By contrast, safe and healthy work environments are not only a fundamental right but are also more likely to minimize stress and conflict in the workplace and improve staff retention, as well as job performance and productivity.
WHO emphasizes that the lack of effective structures and support at work, especially for those with mental health conditions, can affect people’s ability to perform effectively and enjoy their work; it can undermine their attendance at work and even prevent them from obtaining a job in the first place.
Mental health risks at work, also known as psychosocial risks, may be related to the content or schedule of the work, the specific characteristics of the workplace, or professional development opportunities, among other factors.
Among the mental health risks at work, WHO includes the underutilization of skills or insufficient qualifications for the job; excessive workloads or work pace, and staff shortages; excessively long, antisocial, or inflexible working hours; and a lack of control over work design or workload.
Other risks include unsafe or poor physical working conditions; an organizational culture that allows negative behavior; limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision; violence, harassment, or bullying; discrimination and exclusion; poorly defined job roles; insufficient or excessive promotion; job insecurity, inadequate pay, or insufficient investment in professional development; and conflicting demands in reconciling family and work life.
Although psychosocial risks can be found in all sectors, some workers are more likely than others to be exposed to these risks because of the work they do, the environments in which they operate, and the way they work.
Healthcare workers, humanitarian workers, and those working in emergency situations often have to perform tasks that involve a high risk of exposure to adverse events, which can negatively affect their mental health.