REMOTE WORK AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTHCARE: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS’ MENTAL WELLBEING – A NARRATIVE REVIEW
Abstract
The rapid expansion of remote work and digital technologies has significantly transformed healthcare systems, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. While telework and digital tools have enabled continuity of care and organisational flexibility, their implications for healthcare workers’ mental wellbeing remain insufficiently synthesised. Healthcare workers constitute a professional group highly exposed to occupational stressors, including high workload, emotional demands, and moral distress, which may be exacerbated or alleviated by digitalised work arrangements. The aim of this narrative review is to synthesise current evidence on the impact of remote work, telemedicine, and digital mental health interventions on the psychological wellbeing of healthcare workers and to identify key moderating factors influencing these outcomes. A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed and the Cochrane Library, including systematic reviews, observational studies, and intervention trials published in English. Findings indicate that remote work and telemedicine may offer benefits such as increased job flexibility, reduced infection risk, and improved efficiency, which can positively affect mental wellbeing when appropriately implemented. However, adverse outcomes, including social isolation, digital fatigue, blurred work–life boundaries, and increased cognitive load, are frequently reported, particularly in contexts of inadequate organisational support. Digital mental health interventions show potential for reducing stress and improving coping skills, although evidence of long-term effectiveness remains limited. Overall, the psychological impact of digitalised work in healthcare is highly context-dependent. Organisational policies that prioritise autonomy, training, workload management, and supportive digital infrastructures are essential to maximise benefits and mitigate risks for healthcare workers’ mental wellbeing.
References
Adegoke, A. A., Nwankwo, C. A., & Aiyegbusi, O. L. (2025). Organisational determinants of burnout among healthcare workers in digitalised work environments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(3), 3451. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22033451
Bodner, E., Bergman, Y. S., & Cohen-Fridel, S. (2022). Social isolation and loneliness among healthcare workers working remotely. Occupational Medicine, 72(6), 421–427. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqac067
Cameron, I. M., Crawford, J. R., Lawton, K., & Reid, I. C. (2025). Digital interventions for healthcare worker mental health: Current evidence and future directions. The Lancet Digital Health, 7(1), e12–e20. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(24)00211-3
Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC). (2023). EPOC resources for review authors. Cochrane.https://epoc.cochrane.org/resources/epoc-resources-review-authors
Couarraze, S., Delamarre, L., Marhar, F., Quach, B., Jiao, J., & Avilés Dorlhiac, R. (2021). The major worldwide stress of healthcare professionals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: The international COVISTRESS survey. PLoS ONE, 16(10), e0257840. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257840
Griep, Y., Bankins, S., & Vander Elst, T. (2022). Remote work intensity and employee well-being: The role of boundary management and digital connectivity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 27(4), 480–495. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000320
Ilola, L., Palin, A., & Rantanen, J. (2024). Digital work stressors and cognitive load among healthcare professionals. Ergonomics, 67(2), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2023.2249112
Kagiyama, N., Kagiyama, K., Phillips, J. L., O'Donnell, E., & Kao, D. P. (2022). Telemedicine and remote work in cardiology: Impact on workforce well-being and care delivery. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 79(11), 1123–1135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.12.038
Larsson, G., Berglund, A. K., & Ohlsson, A. (2025). Online cognitive behavioural interventions for stress in healthcare workers: A randomized controlled trial. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 82(4), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2024-109002
Lyzwinski, L. N., Caffery, L. J., & Smith, A. C. (2024). A narrative review of telehealth and mental health outcomes in healthcare professionals. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e51234. https://doi.org/10.2196/51234
Mohr, D. C., Riper, H., & Schueller, S. M. (2025). A solution-focused research approach to achieve an implementable revolution in digital mental health. JAMA Psychiatry, 82(1), 15–16. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3892
Naqvi, N., Jiang, F., & Wang, W. (2022). Telemedicine adoption during COVID-19: Implications for healthcare workers. Health Informatics Journal, 28(3), 146045822211194. https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582221119431
Oakman, J., Kinsman, N., Stuckey, R., Graham, M., & Weale, V. (2020). A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: How do we optimise health? BMC Public Health, 20, 1825. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z
Pappa, S., Ntella, V., Giannakas, T., Giannakoulis, V. G., Papoutsi, E., & Katsaounou, P. (2020). Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 88, 901–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026
Pollock, A., Campbell, P., Cheyne, J., Cowie, J., Davis, B., McCallum, J., McGill, K., Elders, A., Hagen, S., McClurg, D., & Maxwell, M. (2020). Interventions to support the resilience and mental health of frontline health and social care professionals during and after a disease outbreak: A mixed-methods systematic review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11, CD013779. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013779
Shiri, R., Ahola, K., & Hakanen, J. J. (2022). Telework and mental health: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 48(3), 169–183. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4011
Wang, B., Liu, Y., Qian, J., & Parker, S. K. (2024). Achieving effective remote working in healthcare: Autonomy, job design and mental wellbeing. Applied Psychology, 73(1), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12418
West, C. P., Dyrbye, L. N., Erwin, P. J., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2016). Interventions to prevent and reduce physician burnout: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet, 388(10057), 2272–2281. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31279-X
Zhao, Y., Guo, Y., Xiao, Y., Zhu, R., Sun, W., Huang, W., Liang, D., Tang, L., Zhang, F., Zhu, D., Wu, J., & Zhou, H. (2022). The effects of telemedicine on job satisfaction and stress among clinicians. BMC Health Services Research, 22, 987. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08304-4
Copyright (c) 2026 Jakub Minas, Paulina Dybiak, Maciej Zachara, Mateusz Bartoszek, Patryk Harnicki, Erwin Grzegorzak, Oliwia Krawczyk, Adrian Morawiec, Paweł Słoma, Rafał Pelczar, Mikołaj Grodzki
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
