Mental health and wellness education for MRT: Workplace implications and attitudes affecting practice

Congress:

ECR 2020

Poster Number:

C-05818

Type:

Educational Exhibit

Keywords:

Not applicable, Observational, Retrospective, Workforce, Occupational / Environmental hazards, Health policy and practice, Education, Conventional radiography, Radiographers, Professional issues, Management, Professional Issues

Authors:

M. Brydon¹, J. L. Carey², R. Gilbert³; ¹Halifax, Nova Scotia/CA, ²Moncton/CA, ³Halifax/CA

DOI:

10.26044/ecr2020/C-05818

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.26044/ecr2020/C-05818

Fig. 1: Consideration of Colleagues Mental Health

Fig. 3: Perceptions of Supported Mental Health Leave at Work

Fig. 4: Satisfaction with the Availability of Supports

Fig. 2: Likelihood of Reporting Unrelated Physical Symptom in Lieu of Mental Health...

Learning objectives

Provide an overview of Mental Health and Wellness of Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs) Review Emotional Exhaustion, Compassion Fatigue, and Vicarious Trauma Showcase MRT Conference dedicated to Mental Health and Wellness Explore implications and attitudes of Workplace Mental Health and Wellness for MRTs

Background

Background: Healthcare workers are one of the populations most affected by mental wellness issues. TheMental Health Commission of Canada reports healthcare workers are 1.5 times more likely to be off work than other sectors related to constant work with patients & families, helping others cope with illness, where shift-work, workplace violence, & rapidly changing practice environments are all occupational hazards. MRT Experience: MRT’s have a unique experience in that they engage with patients from diagnosis to treatment and we provide care in a variety of...

Findings and procedure details

Survey: A questionnaire was designed, piloted, revised, and circulated electronically to the 172 conference attendees, 18 months following the conference. The survey was conducted for one month, with 88 respondents, yielding a response rate of 51%. We set out to assess attitudinal changes to measure whether the conference impacted MRT practice and asked baseline questions about mental health and wellness, collegiality, and perceptions around the use or need for mental health leave. We measured the change in the consideration for one’s own mental health and...

Conclusion

Conclusion: Although our sample size is small, we believe this may be indicative of a much greater issue facing MRT’s in Canada. There is evidence to suggest that silence and stigma around MHW is active within the MRT community. Furthermore, this stigma may be preventing MRT’s from taking the time and they need to deal with, and heal from, the emotional burden that comes with this profession. While many healthcare organizations in Canada have signed a declaration of commitment to psychological health and safety in...

Personal information and conflict of interest

M. Brydon; Halifax, NS/CA - nothing to disclose J. L. Carey; Moncton/CA - nothing to disclose R. Gilbert; Halifax/CA - nothing to disclose

References

1.Mental Health Commission of Canada. Issue brief: workplace mental health – safeguarding the mental health of healthcare workers. 2016. Available from: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/sites/default/files/2017-01/Issue_Brief_workplace_mental_health_eng.pdf 2.Mental Health Commission of Canada Roundtable Discussion—Advancing Workplace Mental Health in Healthcare Settings. 2015. Available from: http://safecarebc.ca/wp-content/uploads/Healthcare-Roundtable_Summary-Report-FINAL.pdf 3. CAMRT National Mental Health Survey. 2019. Available from http://camrt.ca