Through the RISE program, peer counselors — nurses, physicians, social workers, chaplains and others — meet with or call a clinician within 30 minutes of that clinician’s request for help after a stressful care event, such as a medical error or dealing with an overwhelmed family.
“We often refer to medical providers who are part of these stressful events as ‘second victims,'” said William Padula, PhD, the study’s leader. “Although providers often aren’t considered to be personally affected, the impact of these events can last through their entire career.”
Because the RISE program does divert some resources from the system, researchers set out to prove the program not only benefitted clinicians, it also was financially beneficial. To do so, Dr. Padula and his team used data from a nurse survey on their probability of quitting or taking a day off after a stressful patient event with or without the RISE program in place. They also used human resources data and the cost of replacing a nurse, along with other data.
They found the RISE program cost $656 per nurse each year. However, the annual cost of not having the RISE program was $23,232 per nurse. Therefore, the program resulted in a net savings of $22,576 per nurse each year.
When expanded to other clinicians, the RISE program helped Johns Hopkins Medicine save $1.81 million each year.
“Hospitals should be encouraged by these findings to implement institutionwide support programs for medical staff, based on a high demand for this type of service and the potential for cost savings,” the study concludes.
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