SHOULD HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS DO MORE TO HELP PATIENTS WITH STRESS?

It is well documented that stress is a major contributor to the negative impact on one’s health and wellness. However, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), heath care providers are not able to provide patients with the information, referrals, guidance and counseling necessary to help them deal with their chronic stress. A recent Aon Hewitt Annual Consumer Health Mindset Survey found. . .

“…that stress continues to be on the rise, with the percentage of respondents reporting high stress levels at 54%, up 5 percent over the past year. Of those reporting high stress,

74% said they were experiencing more and more obstacles that stood in the way of receiving treatments [from their health care providers].”

While the physician is often the first person a patient turns when stressed, yet the help they need is generally not forthcoming. In the Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association called “Health Care in America Survey,” they found that…

“While Americans think it is important that health care focuses on issues related to stress and living healthier lifestyles, their experiences do not seem to match up with what they value.

• 32% percent interviewed said it is very/extremely important to talk with their [healthcare provider about how to manage stress, but only 17% reported that these conversations are happening.

• 53% said they receive little to no support from their health care provider in managing their stress.

• 35% of said their stress had increased in the past year and,

• 33% percent said they never discuss ways to manage stress with their health care provider!”

As the Regional Director of one of the largest health care providers in American recently shared that…

“After nearly 40 years in wellness, I am absolutely convinced that ‘stress’ and the lack of ‘stress management programs’ are the major cause of ‘un-wellness’ in this country.”

Dr. David Posen, MD, a Canadian physician and a strong advocate for helping patients under stress, recently wrote that…

“One of the most important things we can do for patients is teach them about stress management. Even better, we can learn these lessons ourselves and then model them for our patients.”

Dr. Posen emphasized that “stress is the most common cause of ill health in our society, probably underlying as many as 70% of all visits to family doctors. It is also the one problem that every doctor shares with every patient.

“People who do not receive stress or behavioral management support from their health care provider are more likely to say their stress increased in the past year than those who do get support

(38% with little/no support vs. 29% with a lot/great deal of support).”

THE CHALLENGE

Unfortunately, health care providers often lack the skills, time, inclination or financial incentive to provide help to patients experiencing chronic stress. Pressed for time and a desire to see as many patients as possible, many physicians ignore, or at least downplay, a patient’s stress that may be contributing to the onset, progression and recovery from a serious illnesses or disease.

Today, most insurance companies and health care providers are making a concerted effort to provide Health Service Appraisals (HSAs) that include a few general items on stress and depression. However, when interpreting the results of the HSA showing stress, the health care provider typically offers little guidance as to what they can do and where they can go to reduce and manage their stress. In most cases, they simply encourage the patient to go find help.

Unless one is diagnosed with a mental health disorder and an approved DSM code, which is not the role of the physician, insurance companies will not pay for the help patients need. One way health care providers can assist patients under stress is to refer them to an expert stress management coach. Unless there are more serious psychological issues, a stress mastery coach can provide the information and tools necessary to help a patient reduce and master stress. Many professional coaches are trained to help people not only manage this stress, but to Master It.

STRESS MASTERY COACHING

One such program is provided by Stressmaster International, LLC, called Stress Coaches.  Stress Coaches provide highly trained professional who work with a person under stress to identify the cause of their stress and to assist in using evidence-based ways to master stress on a daily basis. For more information, go to www.stresscoaches.net or contact Dr. James Petersen for more information.

About Stressmaster International

For over 30 years, Stressmaster International has been the global leader in corporate and individual stress assessments, employee stress mastery and stress mastery training and stress mastery coaching. The heart of Stressmaster is The Stress Mastery Program which is a comprehensive approach to identifying stress warning signs using the internationally recognized Stress Mastery Questionnaire (SMQ) which helps one to understand the cause of their stress and by providing concrete, proven effective approaches to mastering stress and preventing stress from dominating one’s life.

Stressmaster International has helped over 600,000 people in 15 countries by providing stress mastery coaching and training, such as stress risk assessments, stress management training and stress coaching to thousands of individuals, organizations and companies including KPMG, JPMorgan, Federal Reserve Bank of S.F, National Boy Scouts of America, Chandler Unified School District, Banamex (Mexico), Fidelity National Title Company, DeBeers (South Africa), Nationwide Insurance and many others. Learn more at Stressmaster International, LLC