How the Outcome Could Be Averted?
Due to the increasing pressure of workload and quality requirements, employees are prone to significant stress in the workplace. Therefore, managing their needs associated with mental health is essential. In the case study under analysis, the patient, Marcia, displays the need for a significant amount of support. Particularly, with her evident need for approval, the patient shows the lack of self-reliance and self-sufficiency, as well as low self-esteem (Servellen, 2008). While the services that the physician provided too Marcia were typical, the patient’s needs were not fully satisfied since she required an excessive amount of care and support. The specified problem could have been avoided if the physician had paid attention to the patient’s complaints about the issues that she had been facing at work and the fact that she could not cope with the workload.
Addressing the needs of employees is a challenge due to the high levels of diversity and unique issues that each staff member has. However, by considering the problems associated with the workload and the way in which employees perceive their responsibilities, as well as communication issues that they may have, one may locate the core of a problem and suggest a viable solution. Thus, in the case under analysis, the negative outcome of the patient-physician intervention could have been averted by identifying the key factors that make the patient lack self-sufficiency and raise her anxiety levels (Servellen, 2008). The proposed course of actions would have allowed the physician to avoid the scenario in which the patients’ concerns remained unresolved. By focusing on the concerns that the patient had voiced about the workplace issues, one would have averted the outcome in which the patient left discontented and unmotivated.
Tow Lessons Learned from the Case Study
The case of Marcia shows that it is critical to consider the evidence regarding workplace relationships and challenges that one faces in the specified setting. Thus, the underlying problems causing significant health concerns and affecting patients’ mental health, in particular, can be identified and addressed. The case proves that meeting patients’ mental health need includes analyzing their workplace environment and stress factors that may aggravate their condition. Furthermore, one should create tools for supporting employees financially by their companies in addressing these health concerns.
The problem of empathy is another concern to which the case under analysis points. In the described scenario, Marcia’s needs were not fully met since the physician did not provide her with emotional comfort and did not offer her the response that could have improved her mental well-being. Although managing the specified needs of the patient could be deemed as the job of a psychologist rather than a physician, locating the source of the patient’s distress should have been the first step to be taken (Purtilo, Haddad, & Doherty, 2018). Therefore, the case is a clear example of why emotional support and empathy should be regarded as critical components of care.
Finally, the case of Marcia indicates that workplace stress and the pressure of the workload affect people’s mental and emotional well-being to a significant extent, which calls for the management of the issue. Specifically, it should be the responsibility of an employer to give workers the opportunity to address their mental health needs by covering the costs for the related issues. Thus, staff members will feel secure in the workplace setting and can develop the strategy for addressing stress factors that are inseparable from the organizational process.
References
Purtilo, R. B., Haddad, A. M., & Doherty, R. F. (2018). Health professional and patient interaction (9th ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier.
Servellen, G. V. (2008). Communication skills for the health care professional: concepts, practice, and evidence (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.