E-Paper
Here's how healthcare providers can tackle fatigue and burnout
Most healthcare workers have had to deal with issues such as sleep disorders, anger outbursts, fatigue and burnout at some point of time during the last couple of months. Hence, tackling stress, anxiety, fatigue, and burnout at hospital set-ups is a must.
It’s been around 16 months and India continues to remain under the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, the nation saw many highs and lows, a lot of anxiety, uncertainty as well as hope. But amid this chaos, there was the healthcare force that stood strong and continues to do so to ensure the safety and security of the citizens. However, the price that healthcare workers pay for doing their duty is incomparable, especially when it comes to their own mental health.
Hospitals generally function in a highly stressful environment, and this was only amplified during the pandemic. Healthcare providers mainly doctors, nurses, paramedics, ICU and emergency staff members face a lot of challenges in a bid to ensure high-quality care and with the aim of saving as many lives as possible.
For months at a stretch, doctors and nurses have had to deal with anxiety, not only of curing those who come into the hospitals but also for their own families. Some even hesitate to go home in fear of exposing family members to infection. Apart from people working in Covid wards, some departments such as pathology labs, dialysis units, etc, have been functioning round the clock to manage the volumes of cases that come their way. Many haven't even taken a single day off in the line of duty, often having to choose between their responsibilities of their families and their duty towards patients, and this has led to emotional exhaustion among many healthcare workers.
Most healthcare workers have had to deal with issues such as sleep disorders, anger outbursts, fatigue and burnout at some point of time during the last couple of months. Hence, tackling stress, anxiety, fatigue, and burnout at hospital set-ups is a must. The first step towards this is to recognize the symptoms of stress, some of which are:
Feeling irritated, angry, or sense of denial
Feeling uncertain, nervous, or anxious
Feeling helpless or powerless
Lack of motivation
Feeling tired, overwhelmed, or burned out
Feeling sad or depressed
Having trouble sleeping
Having trouble concentrating
The second step is to know about stress-related disorders, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Experiencing or witnessing life-threatening or traumatic events impacts everyone differently. In some circumstances, the distress can be managed successfully to reduce associated negative health and behavioral outcomes. In other cases, some people may experience clinically significant distress or impairment, such as acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or even secondary traumatic stress. Compassion fatigue and burnout may also result from chronic workplace stress and exposure to traumatic events during the pandemic.
Tips to cope and build resilience
Maintaining work-life balance: While this sounds too preposterous in the present scenario, but it is a critical factor. Engaging in some personal time to unwind and destress plays an important role in maintaining mental and physical wellbeing. Work-life balance must be factored in HR policies and hospital rotas if we intend to motivate our workforce into the future. This can be done by demarcating time when staff can take breaks to destress.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training (CBT): CBT is a very effective way that demonstrates a technique in developing skills at coping with stress. In this case, the emphasis lies on distinguishing between positive and negative thoughts and analyzing stresses logically, as opposed to emotionally. It helps caregivers deal with personal issues be it work-related or at home. This training improves the quality of work-life and reduces general psychological distress.
Brain and mental exercises: Engaging in brain exercises before and after work is a good way to stay positive and healthy. Yoga has many mental exercises that can be beneficial. So, healthcare providers should half to one hour a day practicing yoga and meditation. Mindfulness exercises and techniques can also aid in rejuvenating the mind.
Building support systems: Healthcare providers should build a support system apart from family members and hospital peers. Friends and neighbor’s can be a strong support system. Also, at the hospital level, a clinical psychologist should provide emotional support. In certain cases, some medical professionals find it very helpful to talk to a counselor, therapist, or psychologist about mental health issues directly resulting from work, in such instances, hospitals could have helpline numbers where people can reach out.
Hospitals to introduce wellbeing workshops: Hospitals should also introduce group activities and classes for fitness, nutrition, yoga, etc., to the people, staff members to recuperate in social manner as well. Group activities go a long way in boost confidence.
Engage in Creative Arts therapy: Music , Art and Dance therapies can calm the mind and bring about positivity and enhance creativity. Many hospitals these days have introduced music and art based therapy for their staff members to enhance mental health. Some healthcare providers even engage in learning a musical instrument to deal with stress. This is a great way to achieve overall well-being.
Finally, if health workforce planning is about getting the right staff with the right skills in the right place and at the right time to deliver high-quality care, then maintaining a physical and mental equilibrium of caregivers is significant for their motivation and to ensure that we tackle the pandemic more strongly.
(As told by Dr. Rahul Pandit, Director Critical Care Fortis Hospitals Mumbai and Member- Maharashtra Covid Task Force & Dr. Kedar Tilwe, Consultant Psychiatrist, Fortis Hospital Mulund)
Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
