Mental health care for medical service workers by the EAP service

Abstract

This article describes the importance of mental health care for medical service workers from the perspective of Employee Assistance Program providers. While there is a great need for both physical and mental health management for medical service workers, they seem to have difficulty in taking proactive steps toward seeking assistance through counseling. Although the rate of introduction of EAP in private companies and public sectors is increasing year by year, that in medical service domains remains extremely low. One of the reasons for this is the persistent existence of the recognition that the management of health is a matter of self-responsibility. The consideration of 3 email/telephone counseling cases in the EAP service shows the importance of prompting self-care and awareness-raising, encouraging proper management of subordinates, providing consultation based on organizational analysis, and so on. The EAP service is an extra-organizational resource that provides support to both individuals and the organization. As the article explains the purpose of EAP, EAP is expected to greatly contribute not only to the health promotion of medical service workers but also to the prevention of errors associated with the provision of medical services.