May 17 marks the beginning of the three-day HeartMath Best Practices Conference, where hospital administrators will gather to share the ways in which the employee wellness program has boosted performance and reduced workplace stress.

Moreover, Todd C. Linden, president and chief executive officer of Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Iowa, will be blogging daily about the most interesting findings of the 19 scheduled panels and presentations.

“I’m delighted to share my thoughts on a progressive approach to stress management that many hospitals are now providing to their employees,” Linden said. “The conference presentations include hospitals that have employed HeartMath’s research-based approach, which depicts the stress and performance relationship through science.”

Linden’s blog will be accessible through HeartMath.com, GRMC.us and TheHealthcareBlog.com.

Among the topics to be discussed and presented at the conference are HeartMath integration techniques and fostering staff well-being as well as research and findings about the program and its efficacy.

Hospitals are perhaps an ideal setting for programs like those offered by HeartMath, since many healthcare workers endure long shifts, make difficult decisions on a daily basis and are under intense pressure while on the job.

In a study that was conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, researchers showed that individuals who take antidepressants may experience some alleviated symptoms, but many still have insomnia, a loss of focus and feelings of sadness.

The team of scientists analyzed the data of more than 4,000 participants over a six-year period and found that all of the individuals reported having between three and 13 symptoms of depression while on medication, with sleep loss being most prevalent.

“Widely used antidepressant medications, while working overall, missed these symptoms. If patients have persistent residual symptoms, these individuals have a high probability of incomplete recovery,” said lead author Shawn McClintock.

A new study that was conducted at the University of Leicester reveals that college and university professors who have the most engagement with their students are more likely to experience burnout than their less-involved colleagues.

Moreover, in an evolving academic environment where more people are studying part-time, online or remotely, professors have even more pressure on their shoulders since these students often require extra attention.

The researchers said that it’s important for administrators to be aware of things like workplace stress and burnout, since it can lead to weaker employee performance and even depression.

“By the time people feel burnt out they may feel terribly isolated and disassociated from their host institution so it is worthwhile finding ways of dealing with it much earlier,” said lead author Noelle Robertson.

The study authors noted that job burnout is associated with poor mental health, anxiety, sleep disorders, immune deficiency, unbalanced hormones and dysfunctional metabolism.

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have recently shed some light on the mechanisms behind the ability of mental stress to exacerbate tumor growth.

The team noted that the link between stress and poor physiological health – including cancer prognosis – has long been established. But recently, they found that psychological factors can lead to an increase in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression – a protein that is known to promote tumor proliferation.

When examining the mental and physical health of 37 individuals who had just been diagnosed with head or neck cancer, the researchers found that those with the most stress had the least chance of survival.

“Our analysis indicated that higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with greater VEGF expression in the tumor tissue of these patients,” said co-author Caroline Fang.

Authors said that stress management techniques may be most helpful in patients who are in early stages of the disease, when psychosocial intervention was shown to be most effective.

Results of the study suggest that hospitals and cancer centers may want to consider stress-relieving tools not just for doctors and nurses, but for patients, too.

Employee wellness programs have been shown in multiple studies and workplaces to effectively improve staff health, and in turn, help reduce costs stemming from employee health benefits.

In fact, a University of Michigan study from last year revealed that a wellness program helped a company in the Midwest save an estimated $4.8 million in healthcare expenses during a nine-year period.

An article on EmployeeWellnessMagazine.com reports that there are several reasons that organizations reject such programs, and provides counterarguments for those excuses.

Many employers say that the cost and resources associated with wellness programs are not feasible for their business. However, the news source says that returns on the investment often pays for the programs themselves, and that a well-organized wellness company should do most of the work for their customers.

Likewise, when a manger or CEO says ‘no’ to a program because of timing or conflicting priorities, they should be reminded that their workers’ health is at stake and that a good program should not take up too much time.

Sometimes, employers are simply not aware of their staff’s health, or don’t feel responsible for it. The source says that these bosses should know about the widespread epidemic of poor health in America, and that costs stemming from it often end up on the employer’s shoulders.