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Mental health of healthcare professionals has recently become a topic of discussion as more serious conditions such as burnout, stress, anxiety and depression and suicide are being reported among doctors. Dealing with mental health problems is an important and crucial issue, but we are still grappling with the fact that healthcare professionals can have mental health issues and need care and corrective measures, hence, addressing the issue of attitude towards self-care is the need of the hour.
Breaking the Silence:
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Vivek Dwivedi, president of the Association of Medical Consultants in Mumbai, shared, “When you acknowledge the problems, you can formulate strategies to help and put them into practice. There are several ways that doctors, nurses and medical staff can follow to keep their mental health in check. The first and foremost issue that needs to be addressed is self-discipline, as in this profession you have to deal with irregular work schedules, rotational shifts and heavy workload. Creating a timetable that accommodates physical exercise, meals, recreational activities and health measures can go a long way in managing stressful life.”
He suggested, “Healthy competition, peer-to-peer interactions and developing a culture of strong bonds and friendships at the workplace can help, as all colleagues are facing the hazards of a busy work life. It is important to be vigilant about your employees and offer help to overcome such mental health conditions. While seeking professional help is always an option, one needs to spend time in meditation, yoga and enroll in wellness programs for guidance. Investing time in spiritual development also provides a calming and soothing experience, one should take advantage of online programs, sessions and digital options that are easily available at your convenience. Healthcare providers should not shy away from managing mental health as caregivers are also human beings and one should keep in mind that self-care is a priority. Only if you are healthy, can you provide the best care to others.”
Invisible Crisis:
Speaking about his expertise, Dr Shaju George, a specialist psychiatrist, said, “Having been in this profession for so many years, we have definitely seen a rise in the number of people seeking medical help for mental health management. The biggest question is how many of them are medical professionals. Encouraging and normalising help for mental health issues is the way forward for medical professionals and caregivers who are so busy caring that they forget to take care of themselves. We need to change this and create safe spaces for our doctors, nurses and staff. This gap often lies at workplace management levels, where hospitals, clinics, labs, diagnostic centres focus on patients but not on their staff. We need to implement measures for our in-house staff that can deal with the increased workload, resulting in stress, burnout, anxiety, mood swings.”
He suggested, “Programs should be organized regularly to emphasize its importance and share coping methods for medical staff to use in their daily lives. Professionals can be employed specifically to monitor, counsel and motivate the staff to focus on health, stress management and other mental health disorders. With the rising cases of depression and suicide, protocols should be implemented to oversee the mental health of employees to avoid such incidents. Preventive measures which can include meditation, yoga, relaxing activities can be taken at the workplace itself, while sleeping pods and beds can be arranged for medical staff to rest in between shifts if needed. Support from the workplace helps a lot in mental health management, especially for caregivers who are completely engaged in patient care.”
Treatment by doctors:
There has been a lot of talk about the increasing workload on healthcare professionals and pathologists, lab technicians and microscopists are no exception. Shedding light on this, Samrat Singh, Co-founder and CEO, Medprime Technologies said, “While technological advancements are paving the way for automation, we still have a long way to go in adopting it. India being a highly populated country, our healthcare professionals are facing mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and fatigue due to the increasing work pressure. It is imperative that while we work towards accelerating healthcare, we also take care of our employees and members by providing them access to mental health programs, stress management coaching and wellness strategies that they can implement in their daily lives.”
He stressed, “Mental health support strategies prove to be very helpful in dealing with work stress, as well as in coping with job challenges. Application of preventive and intervention strategies for mental health of professionals such as mindful meditation practices, digital mediums for accessing information on issues faced and ways to deal with them, availability of psychologists and psychiatric experts on office panels, occupational health support personnel, peer support programmes, while emphasising on work-life balance.”
Samrat Singh advised, “Healthcare organizations can sign up for innovative ideas like employee discounts at wellness centers, yoga clinics, and even wellness resorts that promote healthy breaks designed to recover from stressful situations. It is also helpful to suggest ways to navigate stressful work environments and implement leave policies while taking strict actions to promote a good work environment. Adopting innovations in the field like leveraging technologies that help automate work also helps reduce workload, which is a new way to manage work-life balance.”
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