Abstract
In recent years, we are facing a situation where more than 50 percent of workers experience strong anxieties, worries, and stresses in their workplaces. As increasing number of workers are developing stress-related mental disorders and getting qualified for workers compensation, prevention of mental health ailments are becoming an ever more important challenge.
Given that backdrop, a system of providing company employees “stress checks” and face-to-face consultations based on the results of them has been implemented since December 2015.
The Japan Medical Association conducted a survey during March, 2017, to study the impact of the introduction of stress check on occupational physicians’ contracts and activities. They surveyed 5,000 randomly selected JMA-certified occupational physicians (out of the total of 63,879 as of January 24, 2017, a sampling rate of 7.8%) and received responses from more than 40% physicians. Based on the findings of this survey, we will look at the circumstances the occupational physicians face following the introduction of Stress Check and examine the system itself.
Although the stress check system has already been enforced by law, the survey responses included opinions of many certified occupational physicians who still question its effectiveness. It seems that we need to examine the effectiveness by conducting scientific studies and make the necessary improvements, in order to better utilize the stress check system in future to prevent stressed workers from damaging their health and being unable to work due to such conditions as depression. It is desirable to make improvements so that many directly-involved occupational physicians getting active in undertaking of stress check is not merely something that increases their responsibilities and time constraints; but rather it is something that results in appropriate rewards-both financial and emotional.
JMA Occupational Health Committee is currently conducting a review of this issue, and will deliver its recommendations to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare sometime in the future.
