{"id":19745,"date":"2026-05-04T11:03:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=19745"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:03:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:03:30","slug":"protecting-the-nurses-mental-health-moving-from-data-to-evidence-based-policy-and-frontline-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=19745","title":{"rendered":"Protecting the nurses\u2019 mental health: moving from data to evidence-based policy and frontline action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The WHO Europe Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND) survey<\/a>, based on over 90,000 responses collected from the 27 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, revealed the extent of the nursing workforce\u2019s mental health crisis : 1)<\/strong> One in three nurses report symptoms of depression or anxiety; 2)<\/strong> Three per cent report signs of probable alcohol dependence; 3)<\/strong> Nurses are five times as likely as the general population to experience symptoms of depression (32% vs 6%); 4)<\/strong> Over 10% of nurses report thoughts of ending their life or harming themselves. Worryingly, according to the MeND survey, these symptoms are directly associated with poor working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On European Mental Health Week, therefore, EFN calls on European policymakers to translate data into concrete action. In this regard, EFN welcomes the work conducted by the KEEPCARING Project<\/a>, which brings together research institutions, clinical partners, technology developers, and end-users representatives, like EFN, to design, test, and evaluate research and evidence-based interventions that strengthen workforce resilience in hospital settings. With the WHO Europe data providing an important policy context and call for action, the KEEPCARING Project\u2019s research-backed innovative solutions therefore aim to address stress, burnout, and organisational challenges through complementary digital and non-digital approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within this context, EFN welcomes the upcoming EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign<\/a> 2026-2028, which will prioritise collecting data and proposing solutions to address Psychosocial risks in the health and social care sector. Importantly, this aligns with ongoing developments in the European Parliament, including the Own-Initiative (INI) Report on the Health Workforce<\/a>, and the Own-Legislative Initiative (INL) on Psychosocial Risks<\/a>, both of which are files that are being closely followed by the EFN. Furthermore, \u00a0building on the 2023 Own-Initiative Report on the EU Mental Health Strategy<\/a>, which recognised mental health as a cross-cutting societal issue, EFN encourages the SANT Committee to take this work further by developing a dedicated Own-Initiative Report on Mental Health, as more political momentum is needed to urgently support the frontline nurses\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To bring concrete frontline changes, the political momentum must then be translated into clear and fit-for-purpose European Commission legislative proposals. As such, building on the extensive evidence developed by WHO Europe, by the KEEPCARING Project, and by EU-OSHA, EFN is working with the relevant MEPs to develop concrete policy proposals that need to be picked up by the European Commission in the current legislative mandate, including: 1)<\/strong> EU framework legislation on Safe-Nurses Staffing Levels, as the foundation for nurses\u2019 wellbeing and resilience; 2)<\/strong> EU legislation on Psychosocial risks addressing the specific needs and risk factors of frontline nurses, including reducing administrative burdens, reducing the use of overtime and on-call work, providing on-site childcare, providing resilience training, preventing violence and harassment, and ensuring the right to disconnect from work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On European Mental Health Week, EFN therefore calls on Policymakers to avoid empty promises, and instead act concretely based on all the evidence that we have!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The WHO Europe Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20043,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=20043","url_meta":{"origin":19745,"position":0},"title":"European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2026","author":"efn efn","date":"October 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Today marks the start of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2026. This year, EFN is raising awareness on mental health as an official campaign partner of the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026-28, focusing on preventing psychosocial risks in the workplace. 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This is an important outcome for the EFN, as nurses, together with doctors, are the EU professions facing the highest exposure to psychosocial risks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-24-at-14.25.12.jpeg?fit=1036%2C610&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-24-at-14.25.12.jpeg?fit=1036%2C610&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-24-at-14.25.12.jpeg?fit=1036%2C610&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-24-at-14.25.12.jpeg?fit=1036%2C610&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17127,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=17127","url_meta":{"origin":19745,"position":2},"title":"High-level EU Conference on Mental Health and Work","author":"efn efn","date":"January 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Having mental health at work (prevention of psychosocial risks such as stress and burn-out) high on its agenda, the Belgium EU Presidency organised a high-level conference on mental health and work, in Brussels, bringing together experts and decision-makers in the field of mental health and work to address all the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/BE-EU-Presidency.jpg?fit=1200%2C779&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/BE-EU-Presidency.jpg?fit=1200%2C779&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/BE-EU-Presidency.jpg?fit=1200%2C779&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/BE-EU-Presidency.jpg?fit=1200%2C779&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/BE-EU-Presidency.jpg?fit=1200%2C779&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19246,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=19246","url_meta":{"origin":19745,"position":3},"title":"Launch of the WHO Europe Report on the Mental Health of Doctors and Nurses","author":"efn efn","date":"October 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On the side-lines of the WHO Europe Regional Committee Meeting, WHO Europe has today launched the new Report on the Mental Health of Doctors and Nurses in the EU, based on over 100,000 surveys collected. This report, which is the first of its kind for size and scope, clearly underlines\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WHO-MH.png?fit=1200%2C545&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WHO-MH.png?fit=1200%2C545&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WHO-MH.png?fit=1200%2C545&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WHO-MH.png?fit=1200%2C545&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WHO-MH.png?fit=1200%2C545&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17824,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=17824","url_meta":{"origin":19745,"position":4},"title":"EFN at the European Health Summit 2024, Brussels","author":"efn efn","date":"December 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"EFN, represented by the EFN President, was one of the speakers at the European Health Summit 2024, highlighting the\u00a0 rising levels of mental health issues affecting EU nurses. He made it clear that difficult working conditions, poor salaries that do not match responsibilities, and lack of recognition are the main\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ministers.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ministers.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ministers.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ministers.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ministers.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16821,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=16821","url_meta":{"origin":19745,"position":5},"title":"WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2023 \u2013 \u201cOur minds, Our Rights\u201d","author":"efn efn","date":"October 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year, 10 October, marks the \u201cWorld Mental Health Day\u201d which represents \u201can opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme \u2018Mental health is a universal human right\u2019\u00a0to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone\u2019s mental health as a universal human right.\u201d as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/POST-1-1.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/POST-1-1.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/POST-1-1.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/POST-1-1.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/POST-1-1.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-31-at-15.58.19.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19745"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19747,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19745\/revisions\/19747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}