Abstract
BackgroundIn this controlled naturalistic study performed in healthcare workers we examined the effect of a two-day acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) workshop on work presence and productivity, i.e. the influence the workshop had on treatment efficacy in a routine hospital care setting.AimTo examine the influence of ACT on productivity and presence in healthcare workers.MethodStudy participants were all healthcare workers (nurses, medical doctors, physiotherapists, social workers, and art therapists) of four inpatient wards for depression. Half of the healthcare workers attended the workshop. Measures were evaluated 3 months after the intervention in the study participants and the patients treated by them in the same time period.ResultsA significantly higher treatment efficacy [as measured with HoNOS (Health of the nation outcome scales) change in the patients treated by the participants] has been observed in the healthcare workers who attended the ACT workshop when compared to the control group who did not attend the workshop. Moreover, the work presence of the participants of the ACT workshop was increased when compared with the time period before the intervention and with the presence of the control group. A cost analysis showed that ACT workshops lead to a significant return of investment for the employer as the costs for the workshop were ten times compensated by the increase of work presence in participants of the workshop.ConclusionThese findings provide support that ACT interventions motivate healthcare workers to work and increase their patients’ treatment quality. To our knowledge this is the first study showing an ACT workshop in healthcare workers can influence HoNOS outcome in the treated patients.
Highlights
In Europe, the costs of 12 most relevant groups of mental health disorders were conservatively estimated on 386 billion Euros per year [1]
Results of the Health of Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) comparisons support our hypothesis that professionals trained in acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) could show improved performance or productivity: A two-way Analysis of covariances (ANCOVA) revealed a minor, yet statistically significant, interaction between time and group, controlling for sex, type of discharge, age and symptom severity at time of hospitalization [F [1;163] = 4.451, p = .036, partial h2= .03]
The present study provides preliminary practicebased evidence that a brief ACT intervention can be effective in improving productivity, employers’ costs, and work presence of healthcare employees
Summary
In Europe, the costs of 12 most relevant groups of mental health disorders were conservatively estimated on 386 billion Euros per year [1] About half of these costs were caused by anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and addiction and more than half of these costs are paid by the employer due to productivity losses [1]. In contrast to a huge financial and qualitative damage caused by these disorders, there is only a small proportion of clinically distressed workers that gain access to evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions [4] In this controlled naturalistic study performed in healthcare workers we examined the effect of a two-day acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) workshop on work presence and productivity, i.e. the influence the workshop had on treatment efficacy in a routine hospital care setting
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
