Abstract
Work-related stress is a significant risk for healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of an individual psychological support programme for hospital workers. In all, 35 workers participated (n). A control group of 245 workers (7n) was set. Occupational distress was measured by the General Health Questionnaire, (GHQ-12), the quality of life by the Short Form-36 health survey, (SF-36), and sickness absence was recorded. Costs and benefits of the service were evaluated and the return on investment (ROI) was calculated. The level of distress was significantly reduced in the treated group at the end of the follow-up (p < 0.001). Quality of life had significantly improved (p < 0.003). A 60% reduction of sickness absence days (SADs) following the intervention was recorded. After the treatment, absenteeism in cases was significantly lower than in controls (p < 0.02). The individual improvement of mental health and quality of life was significantly correlated with the number of meetings with the psychologist (p < 0.01 and p < 0.03, respectively). The recovery of direct costs due to reduced sick leave absence was significantly higher than the costs of the programme; ROI was 2.73. The results must be examined with caution, given the very limited number of workers treated; this first study, however, encouraged us to continue the experience.
Highlights
In post-industrialized countries, traditional occupational diseases are decreasing, whereas nonspecific and multifactorial stress disorders are growing [1]
Healthcare workers (HCWs) usually face high levels of work-related stress (WRS) [5] as a persistent background associated with accident-related spikes [6], which may hinder the quality of the provided healthcare as well as the patient safety [7,8,9]
This effect was proportional to the number of meetings, which leads us to believe that the improvement was due to the psychological support interventions
Summary
In post-industrialized countries, traditional occupational diseases are decreasing, whereas nonspecific and multifactorial stress disorders are growing [1]. Healthcare workers (HCWs) usually face high levels of WRS [5] as a persistent background associated with accident-related spikes [6], which may hinder the quality of the provided healthcare as well as the patient safety [7,8,9]. Individual interventions based on cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) have been shown to be effective at some extent [21]. These programmes aim at improving coping strategies, resilience, and control of emotions through various techniques (i.e., individual support, relaxation techniques, focused breath, meditation methods, and self-awareness training) [22,23]
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 call
