Friday 23 May 2025 | 12:45–13:45

Format: Workshop

Stream: People

Content filters: n/a

PART ONE: Caring for our carers: the role of healthcare leaders in employee well-being 

We live in a challenging era for healthcare workers. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals were overburdened, and their well-being became a global priority. Effective leadership is crucial in protecting their employees’ well-being, but are healthcare leaders fully leveraging their influence, or are they unaware of their potential impact? In this session, we will explore current perspectives and practices of healthcare leaders from various organizational and system entities regarding healthcare worker well-being. Join us for valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance the well-being of healthcare workers in your organization, fostering a healthier, more resilient workforce.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the current role of healthcare leaders from a hospital and medical regulatory authorities in promoting healthcare worker well-being


• Identify current data sources and strategies employed by leaders to monitor and enhance employee well-being


• Apply practical insights and strategies to foster a healthier, more resilient workforce

Iris Reijmerink University Medical Center Groningen; Netherlands

PART TWO: Effectiveness of organizational interventions to improve wellbeing of healthcare professionals

During this session, we would like to share our data from the university medical centers in the Netherlands. We will demonstrate where the current pitfalls and barriers are in starting effective interventions to improve well-being of the health and care workforce. We will offer practical tools for evaluating current interventions. Building up on these data we will offer promising organizational interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being of healthcare professionals. Well-being significantly impacts both individuals and organizations, as well as the quality and safety of care provided. Despite this, a majority of institutions continue to focus on individual-level approaches. It is well-established that working conditions act as protective factors for well-being at work, similar to addressing the root cause of a disease rather than merely treating the symptoms. Across various well-being-related outcomes, we will present the effectiveness of various types of organizational interventions.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Understanding the importance and need of organizational interventions


• Determine which organizational intervention types are effective/ineffective for the well-being of healthcare professionals


• Assess what is needed in the future to better research well-being interventions for healthcare professionals and make more informed decisions

Amber Boskma University Center Groningen; Netherlands

PART THREE: Who takes care of the caregiver after an impactful event

Healthcare providers such as doctors and nurses are at increased professional risk of being confronted during their job with a traumatic event. For example adverse events, near accidents, aggression incidents or sudden death of a patient. Most of them process this event on their own and/or with the help of people close to them. Unfortunately, not everyone can do this. For example, research shows that about ten to twenty percent of all those affected continue to suffer from various forms of stress reaction. It is important to assist these colleagues for several reasons. Support from colleagues and fellow sufferers helps in the first phase because they can provide what those affected need most in the first instance; real commitment and compassion. In this workshop we want to provide guidance on how this support can be set up and practically shaped in organizations. We explain the importance of psycho-education and normalization.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Indicate the importance of support after an impactful event


• Express why psycho-education is important


• Make a start on a program for peer support in their organization

Bas de Vries UMC Utrecht; Netherlands