After the success of the program, they see this expansion as necessary because “caring for those who care for us helps improve the quality of care” LOGROÑO, Oct. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Health, María Martín, has highlighted the “success” of the emotional support program to meet the needs of health and social health personnel on a mental level while announcing its expansion with programs to also serve young residents from 2025.
As the counselor has defended, “we are going to continue working on this program because maintaining the good mental health of the professionals who care for us, who heal us, is an essential requirement to guarantee quality care in La Rioja.”
The emotional support program for health and social health personnel, included in the Mental Health Strategy of La Rioja, has served 110 professionals in these first months, 83 from the College of Psychologists and 27 through the College of Nurses. As Martín has recognized “it has been a success but we have to keep working” which is why these young resident health workers will also join the program.
CONSOLIDATION
María Martín, accompanied by the presidents of the official associations of Physicians, Inmaculada Martínez, Psychology, Pilar Calvo, and Nursing, Raquel Velilla, has valued the good data of this first edition that will be consolidated during 2025 with the same contributions for the development of this program: the College of Psychologists will receive 50,000 euros; the College of Nursing 25,000; and the College of Physicians 19,843 euros (being a complement to the PAIME -Comprehensive care program for sick doctors- that the State has been developing for decades).
These amounts come from the funds approved by the Interterritorial Health Council on June 23, 2023 in support of the Mental Health Action Plan of the Ministry of Health, in the line ‘Addressing mental health problems in contexts with greater vulnerability’.
Specifically, the State Plan establishes the need to launch, with the autonomous communities, a support program for professionals that “serves as recovery for burnout syndrome or post-traumatic stress syndrome for health professionals.”
PRESSURE AND STRESS LEVEL
From the College of Psychologists, Pilar Calvo has highlighted the expansion of the program with care and training for resident internal doctors. “So far they have been able to access psychotherapeutic care but given the conditions in which they work, their level of pressure and stress, it is important that specific training be provided for them.”
Among the objectives – he said – is to enhance professional skills that facilitate humanized and personalized health care.
They will also work to promote attitudes that favor an adequate approach to families and patients, knowing how to recognize, explore and confront human suffering and stimulating self-care and emotional regulation skills.
Added to this is the work to train communication (empathy and affective and effective communication), especially with techniques to apply in difficult situations and how to communicate bad news.
IMPROVEMENT OF CARE QUALITY
On behalf of the College of Physicians, Inmaculada Martínez has considered that maintaining and caring for the mental health of the professionals who care for us “is a very important requirement to maintain quality care.” 58 doctors have been assisted with sessions and workshops.
As he explained, “more than 78 percent of the doctors who have participated have done so voluntarily. Mental disorder is the main reason for attention (stress), alcoholism accounts for 5 percent, and dual pathology accounts for 6 percent.
Above all, we have attended to PC, Emergency, Psychiatry and Pediatric doctors.
“ASK FOR HELP WHEN NEEDED”
From the College of Nursing, Raquel Velilla has stressed the need to “ask for help when it is needed.”
“We like to take care but it is very difficult to get them to take care of us.” For this reason, he insists, we must take care of mental health and remove barriers.
The Ministry of Health and Social Policies will continue to collaborate with the three professional associations involved, because it is the most effective way and they are the most appropriate to assess their needs and treatments.
PREVENTION, PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH
Within the Comprehensive Assistance Program for Health Professionals with Mental Health Problems, the prevention, protection and promotion of mental health among health professionals is taken into account, first of all; as well as the detection of these pathologies and the care of professionals affected by them.
The program includes psychological support and care workshops, as well as individual psychological support consultations.
Each of the schools will continue to develop its own strategy, but with common characteristics. Likewise, workshops or courses on emotional regulation and coping with stressful life processes will continue to be scheduled, the objectives of which are: to improve the understanding of emotions; enhance the acquisition of skills for emotional regulation; learn physiological deactivation strategies; develop adaptive cognitive techniques; and learn to resolve conflicts.
These workshops will be completed with an Individualized Psychotherapy Program, to provide psychological care to anxiety disorders, depression, burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder that arise in the workplace.
HOW TO ACCESS THESE RESOURCES?
To access these resources, health and social health personnel must contact their professional association. In each of them there will be a coordinator of the Psychological Care Program. Assistance will be free and confidential; privacy and data protection are respected and guaranteed at all times.