Leading well and staying psychologically healthy: the role of resources and constraints for managers in the healthcare sector

Advocating for Life: A Hospital's Guide to Suicide Prevention

INTRODUCTION

With a global increase in adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), this study addresses the need for enhanced advocacy initiatives within psychiatric inpatient settings.

METHODS

This study, conducted in the Midwest region of the United States, sampled a diverse group of healthcare professionals from psychiatric hospitals, including nurses, nurse practitioners, therapists, techs, and psychologists. Specifically, this study used reflexive thematic analysis to gather insights into the existing state of advocacy efforts, focusing on their alignment with the needs of adolescent patients and barriers to effective implementation.

RESULTS

Preliminary findings revealed a significant gap in hospital-wide advocacy programs tailored to the needs of adolescents facing STBs. Participants stressed the need for more personalized, dynamic advocacy strategies that go beyond traditional models, suggesting a move toward integrated, patient-driven approaches.

CONCLUSION

This study details several limitations with current psychiatric inpatient care practices, stressing the need for a paradigm shift toward more effective advocacy and suicide prevention strategies. Our results advocate for an approach that actively involves patients in their care journey.

One down, fifty to go: managers' perceptions of their workload and how they cope with it to maintain their psychological health

Background

Like many other countries, healthcare services in Canada face numerous organizational changes with the main objective of doing more with less. The approach taken within different healthcare networks has brought about a reform in healthcare facilities in Quebec, leading to several mergers and eliminating over 1,000 managerial positions. As a result, this has placed a progressively heavier workload on the shoulders of the remaining managers. Research on mental health in the workplace has mainly focused with the workforce and generally neglects managers. However, studies have shown that workload is a risk factor for managers. Therefore, the objectives of our study are to (1) better understand the elements that make up a manager's workload and the factors that influence it and (2) identify the coping strategies used by managers to deal with their workloads.

Methods

Employing a qualitative approach, we analyzed 61 semistructured interviews through an abductive method, utilizing diverse frameworks for data analysis. The participants came from the same Quebec healthcare establishment.

Results

Our findings align with the notion that workload is a multifaceted phenomenon that warrants a holistic analysis. The workload mapping framework we propose for healthcare network managers enables pinpointing those factors that contribute to the burden of their workload. Ultimately, this workload can detrimentally impact the psychological wellbeing of employees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study takes a comprehensive look at workload by using a holistic approach, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. It also allows for the identification of coping strategies used by managers to deal with their workloads. Finally, our results can provide valuable guidance for the interventions aimed at addressing workload issues among healthcare network managers in Quebec by utilizing the specific elements we have identified.