Prospective evaluation of mental health training for occupational health practitioners

Occupational health (OH) practitioners need to be confident in identifying and managing mental health problems in the workforce.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a one-day workshop in improving the knowledge, attitude and confidence of OH practitioners in detecting and managing depression, anxiety, suicide risk, alcohol misuse and drug abuse.

Interactive mental health workshops for 164 OH practitioners held in five regions in England were evaluated by self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected immediately prior to the workshop (T1), immediately after the workshop (T2) and 4 months following the workshop (T3).

At T1, the response rate was 97% (159/164), 90% at T2 and 63% at T3. The mean improvement in participants' knowledge was 8% (95% CI 6-10) at T2 compared with T1. The biggest improvement was in participants with no previous training in the management of common mental health problems in the workplace, mean improvement 9% (95% CI 6-12). Participants' confidence improved in all areas assessed at T2, and the improvement in confidence compared with that at baseline was sustained at 4 months (T3). Participants reported using the knowledge gained in clinical practice in all topic areas covered. Use of knowledge gained at the workshop was significantly higher in those who had had previous training in managing common mental health disorders.

This one-day interactive workshop was a feasible and effective method of improving OH professionals' confidence, knowledge and application of skills in practice in key areas of mental health.