Mental Health Risks for Healthcare Industry
Whether they work in a hospital, doctor’s office, or hospice, the workers at your healthcare industry business play an invaluable role in helping sick and injured people find care and compassion.
Unfortunately, caring for others can be emotionally taxing for healthcare industry workers, especially if they frequently deal with high-stress and emotional situations, like working with terminally-ill patients. This increases their risk of mental health issues.
Common Mental Health Risks for Temporary Healthcare Workers
For healthcare industry workers, some of the most common mental health risks include:
- Anxiety: Healthcare is often a fast-paced, high-stress environment, where workers have to quickly handle emergency situations. This leads to an increased risk of anxiety, which can have symptoms like panic attacks.
- Depression: Healthcare workers might be exposed to challenging situations, like caring for terminally-ill patients. This can increase their risk of depression.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): After a particularly stressful event, healthcare workers might develop post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition which can lead to depression and severe anxiety.
- Sleep disorders: Due to their long workdays and stressful environment, healthcare workers are at a high risk of developing sleep disorders, which can have an impact on their health and daily life.
- Substance abuse disorders: When healthcare workers suffer from conditions like anxiety or depression, they are also at an increased risk of dangerous substance abuse disorders, including drug and alcohol addiction.
Helping Your Healthcare Workers Navigate Mental Health Challenges
If you’re a business owner in the healthcare industry, you can take steps to prevent and address mental health concerns. Some simple steps include:
- Offering safety training for all employees, including topics like stress management and coping strategies
- Considering programs that promote a healthy work-life balance, such as peer support groups
- Having a reporting policy where workers can report mental health concerns and other workplace injury concerns
- Ensuring your business is in compliance with all state, federal, and industry-specific laws
- Offering strong Workers’ Compensation coverage to help your healthcare workers find support after a workplace injury or accident.
At Work Comp Business Insurance Solutions, we understand the complexities and risks of the healthcare industry. We specialize in helping business owners navigate common industry risks, and offer a suite of products focused on creating safer workplaces, including assistance with Workers’ Compensation and risk management for Healthcare companies.
At Work Comp Business Insurance Solutions, we help business owners find the best Workers’ Compensation and payroll solutions.To learn more about our services and how we can help your business, visit us online at https://www.wcbis.com.
