Health administration can be stressful ... but not necessarily distressful

Stress is the natural response to personal and organizational demands. It is manifested in elevated heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and adrenaline in the blood. It is not something over which we have conscious control. Stress has both beneficial and destructive consequences. It is the destructive consequences with which we are the most familiar. These include tension, cardiovascular diseases, peptic ulcers, sexual dysfunctions, and depression. These are the undesirable consequences of stress; they constitute distress. They are not an inevitable consequence of stressful events. The purpose of this article is to discuss the unique demands of hospital administration and several methods of preventive stress management. There are no universal ways to prevent or treat distress. Preventive stress management and treatment aimed at increasing healthy stress and preventing distress must be established by each particular hospital or administrator interested in creating a healthy work environment.