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[Translate to English:] © Christian Teichmann ​/​ sfs

MERR – Mental Resilience and Readiness of Healthcare Professionals through Effective Management of the Burnout Effect

09/01/2024 - 08/31/2026

Research area Labour policy and health | Christina Meyn | Pia-Saskia Berg

Healthcare professionals are exposed to high levels of stress and pressure on a daily basis, which can lead to burnout in the long term. To counteract this, the MERR project is developing digital tools to train professionals in how to deal with stress and to help them integrate effective coping strategies into their daily work. The aim of the project is to develop a digital toolbox that trains professionals in stress management techniques and helps them to apply these techniques in their daily work.

Erasmus +

Burnout among healthcare workers is steadily increasing. This trend has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has a negative impact not only on staff but also on patient care, leading to lower satisfaction, increased error rates and reduced quality of care.

The MERR project is developing digital tools to provide targeted training in stress management techniques to healthcare professionals and support them in implementing these techniques in practice to improve their mental well-being.

A hybrid training approach with synchronous and asynchronous modules is designed to teach practical techniques for self-regulation. Digital tools for individual stress assessment enable professionals to analyse their stress levels and initiate targeted measures to manage it.

  • SYSTSERV S.A. (Patras, Greece)
  • ipcnter.at GmbH (Vienna, Austria)
  • DATEY Eyrich GmbH (Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany)
  • Pulso Europe BV (Leuven, Belgium)
  • Hellenic Regulatory Body of Nurses (Athens, Greece)

A quantitative questionnaire survey will be conducted among healthcare professionals in all European partner countries. In addition, guided qualitative interviews will be conducted on the specific challenges and needs of a training program. Furthermore, a compilation of good practice examples from all partner countries will serve as a basis for the design of the training program.

The MERR project follows these key objectives:

a) Development of a digital toolbox to assess stress levels and a training program to manage stress.

b) Creation of a training package that can be integrated into existing vocational education and training (VET) programs for the healthcare sector.

c) Strengthening the skills of healthcare professionals in dealing with stress and promoting the use of digital monitoring technologies.

d) Increasing the awareness of the target groups about proven methods and techniques for improving their resilience to professional stress and burnout.

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