An on-campus work-life mental wellness center for clinicians in Florida saw large turnout in its first few months, according to a new study published in the April 2023 edition of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Similar initiatives could improve access and reduce barriers to accessing mental health services for clinicians leading to decreased burnout.
Upon implementation of the center by University of Florida College of Medicine researchers in Gainesville, the program provided counseling, crisis response and peer support for 631 employees. The program's model, based on Dr. John Kotter's "8-Step Model of Change," seeks to "incorporate change into the culture" and ensure convenience, accessibility and confidentiality for employees.
Researchers found that involving key stakeholders in the initiative allowed for a collaborative approach to addressing mental health for employees in the healthcare workforce who have repeatedly faced instances of burnout and heightened stress since the onset of COVID-19.
For employees, the work-life center proved to be "a powerful and practical methodology to design and implement interventions to address system and individual factors that affect clinician well-being and resilience after an adverse event."