The Evolution of Employee Assistance Programs to Best Support Healthcare Organizations.

IF 1.7 4区 医学 Q3 HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES
Gregory P Couser, Jody L Nation, Dennis P Apker, Susan M Connaughty, Mark A Hyde
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Goal: Employee assistance programs (EAPs) have been evolving since they first became prevalent in the 1970s. The important counseling component of EAPs is sometimes lost in discussions about what they do, with many EAPs marketing a broad portfolio of services such as childcare, elder care, legal referral, and other concierge services rather than counseling. The objective of this study was to examine outcomes for the EAP of one organization (Mayo Clinic), compare them to outcomes reported in the literature, and gain insights to help all healthcare organizations best support their employees.

Methods: Consistent with customary EAP practice, data for this study was collected through an anonymous survey link distributed by e-mail to users of individual counseling as well as users of organizational consulting services such as advising leaders and supervisors and leading educational sessions.

Principal findings: All (n = 82) individual counseling respondents indicated they would recommend the EAP, none reported worse symptoms, 90% decreased their stress levels, 92% reduced their feelings of anxiety, 88% enjoyed an overall improvement in mood, and 95% developed new skills. If their concern was work-related, 96% agreed the counselor understood the work culture and was able to provide helpful guidance; of the clients who were feeling burned out, 86% agreed they gained strategies to reduce its symptoms. Thematic analysis of individual counseling services indicated that participants highly valued their counselors. Regarding organizational consulting services, respondents (n = 50) indicated EAP services increased their confidence as leaders, supported their work, and provided tangible guidance. They appreciated having an internal EAP counselor. Thematic analysis of organizational consulting services indicated that EAP supported leaders by listening, coaching, and empowering them to normalize issues.

Practical applications: EAPs have evolved into distinct internal, external, and hybrid internal-external models. Internal model counselors are company employees with inside knowledge of company culture, external EAP model counselors are contracted outside of the company, and hybrid models combine a small cadre of internal counselors with the support of outside contractors. Regardless of the model, EAP counselors must collaborate with internal stakeholders, notably the human resources department, to efficiently identify and troubleshoot employee relational issues and allow for customized initiatives to improve mental health. Based upon these findings and the authors' direct experiences with EAP providers, components of an ideal EAP are outlined to show how EAPs can best support employees. Healthcare leaders seeking to add EAP services are advised to focus on offerings that are custom fit to the organization.

为医疗保健组织提供最佳支持的员工援助计划的演变。
目标:自20世纪70年代首次流行以来,员工援助计划(EAP)一直在发展。EAP的重要咨询组成部分有时会在关于其工作的讨论中丢失,许多EAP营销广泛的服务组合,如儿童保育、老年护理、法律转介和其他礼宾服务,而不是咨询。本研究的目的是检查一个组织(梅奥诊所)的EAP结果,将其与文献中报道的结果进行比较,并获得见解,以帮助所有医疗保健组织最好地支持其员工。方法:根据EAP的惯例,本研究的数据是通过匿名调查链接收集的,该链接通过电子邮件分发给个人咨询的用户以及组织咨询服务的用户,如咨询领导者和主管以及领导教育会议。主要发现:所有(n=82)个人咨询受访者表示他们会推荐EAP,没有人报告症状更严重,90%的人压力水平降低,92%的人焦虑感减轻,88%的人情绪总体改善,95%的人发展了新技能。如果他们的担忧与工作有关,96%的人同意咨询师了解工作文化,能够提供有用的指导;在感到精疲力竭的客户中,86%的人同意他们采取了减少症状的策略。对个人咨询服务的主题分析表明,参与者高度重视他们的咨询师。关于组织咨询服务,受访者(n=50)表示,EAP服务增强了他们作为领导者的信心,支持了他们的工作,并提供了切实的指导。他们很感激有一位内部EAP顾问。对组织咨询服务的专题分析表明,EAP通过倾听、指导和授权领导者使问题正常化来支持他们。实际应用:EAP已经发展成为不同的内部、外部和混合内部-外部模型。内部模范顾问是对公司文化有内部了解的公司员工,外部EAP模范顾问是在公司外部签约的,混合模式将一小部分内部顾问与外部承包商的支持结合在一起。无论采用何种模式,EAP顾问都必须与内部利益相关者(尤其是人力资源部门)合作,以有效识别和解决员工关系问题,并允许采取定制举措来改善心理健康。基于这些发现和作者与EAP提供商的直接经验,概述了理想EAP的组成部分,以展示EAP如何最好地支持员工。建议寻求增加EAP服务的医疗保健领导者专注于适合组织的定制产品。
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来源期刊
Journal of Healthcare Management
Journal of Healthcare Management HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES-
CiteScore
2.00
自引率
5.60%
发文量
68
期刊介绍: The Journal of Healthcare Management is the official journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Six times per year, JHM offers timely healthcare management articles that inform and guide executives, managers, educators, and researchers. JHM also contains regular columns written by experts and practitioners in the field that discuss management-related topics and industry trends. Each issue presents an interview with a leading executive.
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