How to Promote Wellbeing is a timely resource designed to help all healthcare practitioners promote and protect their own and their patients' wellbeing and mental health. Focusing on practical strategies and guidance, this much-needed book explores approaches for reducing burnout, managing stress, coping with pressure in healthcare settings, recognising signs of impaired decision-making, and much more.
Written specifically for busy healthcare practitioners, the book offers focused and succinct chapters on topics ranging from behaviours to improve resilience and mindfulness, to approaches for maintaining work-life balance when confronted with excessive workloads and organisational pressures. Throughout the text, evidence-based tools and techniques are provided to improve the practitioner's health and facilitate the delivery of high-quality care. Covering a wide range of clinical situations and important issues, this book:
Examines global, organisational, and individual problem factors affecting mental health and wellbeing
Discusses the impacts of chronic stress, burnout, technological and environmental factors, work-associated trauma, and sources of wellbeing strain
Identifies factors that negatively affect patients' wellbeing in hospital, clinic, and outpatient settings
Offers guidance for emergencies and available resources for those in personal crisis
Includes a mental health and wellbeing toolkit, including assessments and strategies
How to Promote Wellbeing is indispensable reading for doctors, nurses, dentists, therapists, counsellors, and other clinicians and health professionals.
About the author ix
Acknowledgements x
Preface xi
Introduction 1
Learning outcomes 2
Why should we be concerned about our own wellbeing? 3
Why should we consider both problem factors and protective factors? 5
Chapter 1 General problem factors affecting global mental health and wellbeing 7
Problem factor: Global mental health burden 7
Problem factor: Accessing resources 9
Problem factor: Multiple potential impacts on individual mental health 11
Problem factor: The acute and chronic stress responses 12
Problem factor: The diathesis-stress model 15
Problem factor: Stigma 16
Chapter 2 Problem factors affecting healthcare practitioner mental health and wellbeing 19
Problem factor: Perceptions of invulnerability 19
Problem factor: Presenteeism 20
Problem factor: Perceptions of hierarchy 22
Problem factor: Burnout 23
Problem factor: Compassion fatigue 30
Problem factor: Perfectionistic personality traits 33
Problem factor: Lack of recovery behaviours 34
Problem factor: Sleep cycle derangement and sleep deprivation 35
Chapter 3 Problem and protective factors affecting patients' mental health and wellbeing 37
Factor to consider: The interlinkage of mental and physical health 37
Factor to consider: Sleep 40
Factor to consider: Diet 42
Factor to consider: Cognitive aspects 42
Chapter 4 Protective factors for organisational implementation 44
Protective factor: Organisational resilience 45
Protective factor: Organisational approaches to addressing stigmatisation 49
Protective factor: Creating a culture of support 50
Protective factor: Facilitating access and awareness of support avenues 53
Protective factor: Promoting communication 54
Protective factor: Balancing the psychosocial safety climate 55
Protective factor: Implementing a wellbeing strategy 58
Chapter 5 Protective factors for individual implementation 60
Protective factor: Learning a new wellbeing skill 60
Protective factor: Defining motivation to change 62
Protective factor: Individual resilience 63
Protecting factor: Compassion satisfaction and self-care 64
Protective factor: Promoting individual action 68
Protective factor: Awareness and mitigation of risk factors for burnout 69
Protective factor: Recognising and intervening approaching burnout and compassion fatigue 70
Protective factor: Connection 73
Protective factor: Access to support 73
Protective factor: Judicious use of standardised processes and templates 76
Protective factor: Practising self-awareness and meditation/mindfulness 77
Protective factor: Adequate sleep 78
Protective factor: Balanced diet 81
Protective factor: Adequate hydration 83
Protective factor: Optimising thinking styles 84
Protective factor: Appropriate delegation 90
Protective factor: Reflection on personal accomplishment 92
Protective factor: Physical activity 93
Protective factor: Gratitude practices 94
Chapter 6 Protective factors for individual trainee/student implementation 95
Protective factor: Medical school education styles 95
Protective factor: Good habits around maintaining patient confidentiality 96
Protective factor: Maintaining thorough record keeping 97
Protective factor: Maintaining clear communication 98
Protective factor: Planning training requirements 99
Chapter 7 Emergencies in mental health and wellbeing 100
Professional emergency: Pandemics 100
Professional emergency: Patient mental health 101
Professional emergency: Whistleblowing 102
Personal emergency: Personal crisis 105
Chapter 8 Mental health and wellbeing toolkit 106
Reframing 107
Weighing the evidence 107
Softening black-and-white thinking 107
Focusing on the benefits 107
Journaling 108
Reflecting 108
Challenging thought processes 108
Pausing 108
Delegating 108
Working as a team 109
Noticing anticipatory stress 109
Accepting 'good enough' 109
Replacing 'should' and 'must' 109
Playing out 'what if. . .?' 110
Connecting 110
Mentoring and buddying-up 110
Being thankful 110
Feeling a sensation 111
Progressively relaxing our muscles 111
Progressively mentally scanning our body 111
Deep breathing 111
Focusing on a physical sensation 112
Moving 112
Drinking de-caffeinated drinks after 3pm 112
Removing blue light after 8pm 112
Prioritising sleep 112
Starting and keeping to a regular sleep schedule 113
Drinking enough water 113
Eating well 113
Sitting less 113
Going outside 113
Talking 114
Accessing online resources 114
References 115
Index 130
