Human beings are known for many different things, but most importantly, we are known for getting better on a consistent basis. This tendency to improve under all possible circumstances has allowed us to hit upon some huge milestones, with technology appearing as a major member of the stated squad. The reason why technology enjoys such an esteemed stature among people is down to its skill-set, which realized all the possibilities for us that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look beyond the surface, it should become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired by the way we applied those skills across a real-world setting. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, including a timely appearance on our healthcare block. Technology’s foray into healthcare was perfect with its timing, as it came right when the sector was beginning to struggle against its own obsolete structure. This reality, fortunately for us, went through a complete overhaul under the new regime, but even after achieving such a monumental feat, the new and budding medtech concept will somehow continue to produce all the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident over the recent past, and truth be told, a newly-formed partnership does a lot to make that trend bigger and better moving forward.
The United Health Foundation (UNF), the philanthropic arm of UnitedHealth Group, has officially teamed up with American Nurses Foundation (ANF) to launch a $3.1 million Stress & Burnout Prevention Pilot program. According to certain reports, the program is designed to identify and treat different stress patterns in nurses at an early stage. But how are they going to do so? Well, their approach will be conveyed through a specialized curriculum, which is not just centered on reducing the stigma around mental health, but it will also educate the stated professionals about all the resources they can access, in case they need mental health support. Wait, there is more. To ensure a wider reach for the program, both UNF and ANF are even roping in four health systems i.e. BayCare Health System in Tampa Bay, Florida; Indiana University Health in sites across the state; University of South Alabama Health Hospital in Mobile, Alabama; and Wayne Health Care in Newark, New York. These health systems will basically let the partners run their pilot program alongside a total of 15,000 nurses in rural and urban locations; in acute, primary, and long-term care setting. Once that pilot program is over, the findings will be incorporated into a national awareness campaign reaching over 50,000 nurses nationwide.
“Establishing a multi-site pilot will enable us to conduct programming and establish evaluation metrics that will assess more deeply the cultural change over time,” the ANF spokesperson said. “Over three years, the content will go through an iterative evolution, drawing from learnings and real experiences gathered from the pilot sites to inform the national initiative – feasibility and reach. If successful, the impact will be measured uniformly across all pilot sites and will be replicable at a national level.”
The program, interestingly enough, comes after a recent Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey dug into how over 81% of the nurses reported extreme stress symptoms, with 76% seemingly suffering from frustration. Beyond that, 65% of the nurses also admitted to being exhausted, while a share of 55% said they were officially burnt out. A separate survey by the ANF revealed that 34% nurses don’t feel emotionally healthy at the moment, and 42% of them are still experiencing trauma from the Covid 19 pandemic.
“Few could have predicted how unprecedented and demanding the past two and a half years have been for all of us, let alone our country’s nursing staff,” said Mary Jo Jerde, RN and senior vice president of the UnitedHealth Group Center for Clinician Advancement. “Nurses have played a vital role throughout this critical period and we’re committed to ensuring they have the resources they need to deliver care across the country.”
