Number of Citations: 0

Submitted: 28 January 2025
Accepted: 5 July 2025
Published online: 6 January, TAPS 2026, 11(1), 89-91
https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2026-11-1/II3646

Darlina Hani Fadil Azim¹, Gaik Kin Teoh¹ & Nilesh Kumar Mitra²

¹Department of Psychology & Counselling, School of Psychology & Social Sciences, IMU University, Malaysia; ²Human Biology Division, School of Medicine, IMU University, Malaysia

I. INTRODUCTION

Sustainability was the key topic at APMEC 2025. However, how can we maintain care quality when patient demands overshadow healthcare workers’ well-being? The mental health challenges faced by medical students and healthcare professionals – including high workload, burnout, and the emotional toll of the second victim phenomenon, which is the emotional and psychological distress healthcare professionals experience after being involved in or witnessing an adverse patient event or medical error – are well-documented yet often insufficiently addressed (Busch et al., 2021). Despite growing awareness, existing institutional policies for managing and monitoring mental well-being remain fragmented and unsustainable (Kuhlmann et al., 2024). In the Conference workshop session, “Promoting Mental Health in HPE and Healthcare: Partnering for Change”, we were able to create a safe space in which sincere and honest experiences were shared among the participants, who were medical doctors, medical educators, and support staff for medical students and they were able to learn from one another. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to share our insights and recommendations that can be helpful for medical educators and policymakers in ensuring that the healthcare workers well-being is maintained for a sustainable future.

II. STRESSORS OF STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS

The participants highlighted in the small group discussions that the stressors among residents are quite different from those faced by medical students. While students tend to be more concerned about academic pressures and uncertainties about their future careers, residents are more concerned about the high workload and challenging work demands, including patient care responsibilities and personal factors such as managing a young family.

The participants also expressed their concerns about providing the necessary support for both students and residents under their care. They have observed that they tend not to reach out for help when they need it, and for those who do, participant X mentioned that “they are not as forthcoming in sharing about the core of the problem and instead tend to keep it at a superficial level”. Several participants hypothesised that this could be due to the stigma surrounding mental health and the limited time to consult with a senior or superior. This is supported by the study by Hawsawi et al. (2024) who also found other factors such as no or minimal access to mental health support, as well as the normalisation of stress and burnout in the medical field.

To address this, participant Y shared his strategy of “approaching students during informal settings such as class break time or lunch breaks” to make the interaction less formal and a more congenial interaction. He also prefers to “just listen and support, instead of trying to change or correct the student”. Another participant who works in a teaching hospital found that “my students were more willing to open up when I shared my own struggles from when I was a junior doctor”. These practices can help encourage more open communications from the medical students and residents.

III. COPING STRATEGIES OF MEDICAL EDUCATORS

To explore the participants’ coping strategies in managing their own stressors, each participant was requested to list both internal and external supports that are available to them and to share with the whole group. Internal coping mechanisms such as turning to religion offer comfort, meaning, and community support. Positive self-talk and acceptance promote self-compassion and reduce negative thinking. Distraction techniques, such as engaging in hobbies, practicing mindfulness, or exercising, provide temporary relief and improve mood. In terms of external support, most of the participants have a strong support system from family, colleagues and mentors who provide emotional support, understanding, and a sense of belonging. Having a safe space to vent frustrations and anxieties without judgment offers crucial emotional release. One participant found this workshop activity of self-disclosure and sharing helped her to see that she is not alone in her own struggles with mental health issues. Interestingly, none of the participants mentioned systemic support as one of the coping factors. Could this imply systemic support is beyond their capacity, or are they not aware of its availability or significance? The participants highlighted that while there are efforts in their institutions to promote mental health and well-being, these tend to be more focused on the students, rather than on staff. Two of the participants also discussed how their institutions have made available third-party digital therapeutics companies that includes access to mental health professionals and also AI chatbots that can provide online support. This could be a more accessible option for those who are hesitant to reach out for help.

IV. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

Considering the input from the workshop participants, we recommend the following:

1) To reduce the stigma of seeking formal mental health support that are provided by the institutions, incorporate in the medical curriculum the provision of a safe platform for sharing personal stories from senior staff or alumni that showcase their mental health challenges in different stages of their career and how they managed it. This fosters a work culture that powerfully conveys mental health challenges are not signs of weakness, but rather that understanding how and where to seek help is an essential component of professional practice.

2) To further harness the support that staff are already providing informally to their peers and students, a mandatory training programme on Mental Health First Aid focusing on recognising signs of distress, basic active listening skills, motivational interviewing skills and appropriate referral pathways can be implemented. This can be made available to the students as well.

3) To address the perceived lack of systemic support for staff, a mandatory wellness program is recommended. This may include regular and dedicated mental health check-ins with independent mental health professionals who are familiar with the unique stressors and challenges faced by healthcare professionals and students including the second victim phenomenon. These check-ins can be in an informal setting like during coffee breaks or gym sessions to encourage open and non-judgmental conversations, reduce stigma, and normalise seeking psychological support as a routine part of professional well-being. Using AI chatbots could also be an alternative approach. These conversations can provide valuable opportunities to identify early warning signs and offer timely support.

V. CONCLUSION

The format of this APMEC 2025 workshop can serve as a model for fostering collaborative mental health discussions, thus making it a replicable innovation. The insight from the workshop clearly shows that more needs to be done to address healthcare workers’ well-being at the systemic level. This is a direct call to action for HPE institutions to prioritise and implement strong, dedicated mental health support systems. Furthermore, HPEs must equip all staff and students with the essential skills to proactively offer mental health support to their peers and colleagues, fostering a truly supportive academic and professional environment.

Notes on Contributors

DHFA conceptualised the core idea, developed the argument and wrote the paper.
GKT initiated, conceptualised, analysed the literature and revised the paper.
NKM analysed the literature and revised the paper.

Ethical Approval

There is no data presented in this paper, and thus ethical approval is not required.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the Deans of the School of Psychology and Social Sciences and the School of Medicine at IMU University, for supporting our participation in this conference.

Funding

IMU University, Malaysia, funded our participation in this conference.

Declaration of Interest

All authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

References

Busch, I. M., Moretti, F., Campagna, I., Benoni, R., Tardivo, S., Wu, A. W., & Rimondini, M. (2021). Promoting the psychological well-being of healthcare providers facing the burden of adverse events: A systematic review of second victim support resources. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5080. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105080

Hawsawi, A. A., Nixon, N., Stewart, E., & Nixon, E. (2024). Exploring access to support services for medical students: Recommendations for enhancing wellbeing support. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 671. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05492-1

Kuhlmann, E., Falkenbach, M., Brînzac, M. G., Correia, T., Panagioti, M., & Ungureanu, M. I. (2024). The mental health needs of healthcare workers: When evidence does not guide policy. A comparative assessment of selected European countries. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 39(3), 614-636. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3752

*Darlina Hani Fadil Azim
126, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil,
57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+60122846675
Email: darlinahani@imu.edu.my