Structural Reform to Improve Mental Health and Reduce Stress among Rehabilitation Department Staff

Abstract

[Purpose] The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan mandated mental health checks for business establishments with 50 or more staff from 2015. We outsource these checks and have them performed twice per year. A perceived lack of coordination amongst managers in recent years has led to results indicating a high health risk amongst managers when subjects were classified as either managers or general staff in a group analysis performed in December 2018. Structural reform based on Donabedian’s approach was implemented in order to improve the health risk values. [Participants and Methods] Health risk values measured before and after the intervention were investigated for 44 rehabilitation department staff. [Results] Although no improvements were noted in the health risk values, the staff turnover rate improved. Thus, measures for managers appeared to help prevent general staff turnover. [Conclusion] We hope that mental health checks will be implemented at a large number of facilities and that organizational analysis will be performed in order to aid the improvement of organizational management.