Nursing Staff in a Large Hospital System Underutilize Insurance-Based Mental Health Services.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Mental Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Nurses experience high rates of burnout and mental health challenges.
• Overstaffing, heavy workloads, and job-related health risks contribute to nurse distress.
• Barriers exist that prevent nurses from accessing available mental health treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the utilization of mental health services by nurses at the Emotional Health and Well-Being Clinic (EHWC).
• To identify challenges nurses face when seeking mental health care.
• To propose solutions for enhancing nurse access to and benefit from outpatient mental health services.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive data analysis of nurse utilization of the EHWC.
• Discussion of observed barriers to care for nurses.
• Development of proposed solutions based on collected data.

Main Results:

• The EHWC serves as a key observation point for nurse mental health service utilization.
• Specific challenges faced by nurses in accessing care were identified.
• Data-driven recommendations for improving mental health support for nurses were formulated.

Conclusions:

• The EHWC is vital for understanding and addressing nurse mental health needs.
• Overcoming identified barriers is crucial for effective nurse mental healthcare.
• Implementing proposed solutions can optimize outpatient mental health service benefits for nurses.