1 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Services for Adverse Events

2 Who Should Receive Support? Physicians Nurses Nursing Assistants Pharmacists Technicians Residents/Medical Students Managers/Supervisors Support Staff Any NMH employee, physician or medical student involved in an adverse event

3 Who Contacts the EAP Human Resources Consultant and the Manager of the involved employee or unit or a Designated Representative will initiate a call to the EAP Account Manager for either individual or group issues. If the Account Manager is not available, it will be handled by the Director of the Access Center.

4 What the EAP Needs to Know During the Initial Phone Call Specifics regarding the incident: What happened When did the event occur Prior history of adverse events Years employed with NMH Nature of HR involvement Any disciplinary action regarding this event Impact/Concerns/Issues regarding the team or unit (group issues): Emotional impact on staff or team members Medical/legal issues How many people involved Whether group intervention is necessary (CISD) What has been done to date (operational debriefing)

5 EAP Intervention or Not? EAP support should be offered to all NMH employees, physicians and medical students involved in an adverse event. EAP involvement can provide: –Assessment (initial session is face-to face) –Support for individuals as well as the work group –“Safe” place for staff to verbalize thoughts, feelings and reactions –Referrals for services not provided by the EAP

6 EAP Assessment Focused only on the adverse event  Impact on the individual Physically Emotionally Psychologically  Support system  Coping skills  What support is needed

7 Aspects of EAP Support Type of intervention Timing of the intervention Who will provide the services What will be expected of the individual

8 Types of EAP Support Management/Human Resources Consultation Services for effected individuals Services for the team or unit involved (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing - CISD) Follow-up/Monitoring

9 Interventions Provided Individual Interventions: Brief counseling Homework assignments Referral, if not appropriate for brief counseling Referrals to appropriate support groups Group Interventions: On-going management consultation Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Counselors on site

10 Specific Interventions (individual) Brief Counseling: In person/can be phone after initial session 3-5 sessions on average Cognitive behavior and/or solution focused Clear, agreed upon goals Homework Assignments: Tools for self-assessment Checklist for cognitive distortions Five steps for feeling good Daily mood log/weekly mood log Coping after a stressful incident Perspectives online:  Skill builders  Self assessments  Articles

11 Specific Interventions (group) CISD hours after the event Structured intervention: support/educational group (1 hour) Counselors on site Provides support for group members as needed Management Consultations Provides support Assists with crisis intervention/crisis management briefing Helps to determine ongoing needs of the group

12 Evaluation of Support Services EAP Satisfaction Surveys completed by all individuals receiving support services Outcome data from individual EAP case files when case is closed Tracking all cases referred for support for follow-thru with referral to the EAP Reassessing process in six months