Remote Work, Mental Health, and The FUTURE of Healthcare

In this episode of Medical Practice Success Secrets, Join me as we have a special guest from the nursing space.

Dr.Akua Ampadu, a board-certified Internal Medicine doctor with a mission to provide the tools needed to live a holistic life focused on external and internal wellness.

In this exclusive interview, shares her journey about Mental Health, Remote Work and Technology (AI).

Stay Tuned as there is a NEW REMOTE WORK MODEL that is being rolled out there by Companies! Link to the YouTube Video down below!

YouTube Video Link to the podcast episode: https://youtu.be/Nc9j9S7dME0

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @synsormed.

Learn more about what we do at SynsorMed at www.synsormed.com.

Transcript

Introduction and Guest Welcome

Hello everyone. Welcome once again to Medical Practice Success Secrets. I'm your host, Theo Harvey, and once again, we have another special guest with us, Dr. Ampadu, how are you today? I'm doing great. Thanks for asking Mr. Harvey, and thank you for having me here. It's just a great. Opportunity, and I'm excited for this conversation we're about to have.

Wonderful. Wonderful. 

Dr. Ampadu's Background and Expertise

Well, if you don't know Dr. Ampadu, she is a board certified internal medicine trained hospitalist physician who is passionate about providing quality inpatient adult care outside of talking, taking care of patients on the hospital ward. She has a passion for harnessing the power of innovative solutions to ensure health equity and equal access to quality healthcare for all.

She's an expert in corporate wellbeing, helping organizations promote, improve the holistic health of the employees. So we had the wonderful chance to connect with her on social media and. 

The Future of Healthcare and Workplace Wellness

One of the things that, that comes up more and more, um, as we're kind of looking at the data, there was a Gallup study back in 2022 that said only 32% of employees are thriving in overall wellbeing as a leader in workplace wellness.

How do you envision the future of healthcare evolving to better support professionals? Great question. So, you know, um, for. Many years healthcare has kind of looked, uh, towards, I guess, the allopathic ways to help patients. It's been mostly focused on, um, di disease treatment, um, and a bit of a disease prevention.

Uh, I think right now, um, especially post covid, I we're recognizing that. True health is, should be evaluated in more of a holistic approach, recognizing that mental health, spiritual health, financial health, sexual health, emotional health are all important to wellbeing. So I think that right now, uh, healthcare is evolving to incorporate the other aspects of health, um, to really.

Give, um, a holistic approach to how we can improve an adult's wellbeing. In the past, occupational health, which is a, a, a specialty, which kind of focuses on workplace wellbeing, uh, they were largely focused on like, um, environmental hazards, so like noise pollution, construction sites, asbestos, um, fumes, you know, then we kind of started going into ergonomics, right?

Making sure that the individuals who are in the office, they have. Quality, uh, desk setups. They have good chairs to sit on, keyboards and things of that nature. And, but now we're recognize that there's an also another aspect, which is the mental health aspect of work. We've seen a lot that, um, uh, post covid individuals who did work from home had actual increased productivity compared to when they were working in the office.

They had less stress. They were less. Quote unquote sick days. 'cause they were able to do multiple things at one time. So I think right now, um, healthcare is really, um, looking to find ways to support, uh, professionals from a mental aspect to make your job enjoyable as well as make it safe and healthy for you.

Hmm. I, I, I love that. And, you know, I actually have a standing desk as we're talking. I'm, I, I, I lift it up every day when I need to stand up and do meetings and things like that instead of sitting down. I think that is something that, as a corporate wellness professional, you know, that sitting down is, uh, something you don't wanna do as much.

You wanna stand around, move around more. So, yeah, so that's something that I started to do and incorporate. And I, it did come out of, uh, the pandemic. You know, I was sitting in front hours on, on Zoom calls and meetings. I. You know, I wanted to double click on that. 

Mental Health in Remote Work Settings

So with the, the move to, you know, remote work and all that, you know, what are some of the things you're seeing from a mental health standpoint that, that employees are struggling with?

You know, from a remote setting standpoint? You know, and I can tell you from experience we've hired younger professionals who I. Who kind of want the more in-person environment because they feel like they're connected more to people and wanna have conversations and feel like, you know, they're in a workplace environment where it's older professionals who have kids like myself, you know, they're like, Hey, remote setting is fine.

You know, I can do my work and do the time with my kids. Are you seeing that bifurcation between younger and older professionals? And then what mental things are you seeing that people struggle with from remote? Work. Yeah. So it's so interesting that you're saying that there's really like been a shift in the split, which is absolutely correct.

The younger individuals are looking more, uh, into social connections because that is something that can be lost when you're doing work from home, unless you are intentional about leaving your job at five o'clock, making sure you go to, I don't know, a happy hour, or seeing your friends or your family, or you have the older individuals who, they've got kids now, they can, you know.

Pick up little Timmy from from school at two o'clock rather than having to go and pay a babysitter to go pick up little Timmy, they can also go to these type of events. So you're absolutely right. There is kind of, um, differences in people's opinion on whether or not work from home is beneficial. Uh, I will say that, um, there are a few studies that are are coming out that actually promote hybrid work where you can get the best of both worlds.

A lot of. Organizations are saying, okay, you have to be in the office maybe two days out of the five days. That also helps their real estate as we know, because they had, they had tons of empty office buildings that were, you know, were, were not being inhabited and they had to. Spend this, a lot of money on real estate, but, um, helping people to come into the office, uh, maybe two or three times a week, improve social engagement.

There's a lot of things that can be done face to face that's easier than say, remote. And then also you have the opportunity to spend maybe the, the next two to three days at home. Where you can have the ease and the quote unquote luxury of being remote. So right now, I think a lot of companies, unless you're being mandated to return to work, a lot of them are actually looking at the hybrid models, which seem to, um, improve employee, um, happiness and really foster a healthy work environment.

Yeah, totally agree with that as well. I mean, uh, we are looking at more kind of quarterly. Meetings where we get together in person, uh, we have a team that's all over the country in places, some places across the world. And so having, you know, these quarterly meetings to kind of meet each other for the in person, like I.

We had one of our first meetings last year, and it was like, oh wow. You know, I thought everyone's taller than they normally were, right? Because so used to seeing him on the screen. And so I said, oh, wow, you know, we're all about, you know, little shorty. So, uh, so it was kind of interesting to kind of see that, you know, dynamic and, um, likewise, you're right as a, as a parent of, you know, growing children, a 9-year-old and a 13-year-old.

They also have, you know, sports programs now and afterschool programs. And so I, I literally, today I have a game that I go to my son's at four o'clock, right? So I was working in office. I had to get through traffic and leave and all that stuff and talk to my boss. But no, I'm, I'm going straight to, uh, his game after a couple meetings.

So. So stuff like that is so important. So I, I agree. I think, um, you know, having that, uh, hybrid kind of work environment is key to kind of balance both to your point, when you kind of look at, you know, some more other data we saw around this space. Peer research center found that over 70% of adults turned to digital platforms for health information.

Obviously that exasperated during Covid. 

Using Media to Bridge Healthcare Gaps

As both a physician and media consultant, how can we responsibly use media to bridge a gap between healthcare and public understanding? Yeah. You know, we have so many platforms now, whether it's a video platform, whether it's audio platform, you know, even LinkedIn has, has, um, even gotten to the game really heavy into the game as well.

It was, you know, previously known as a professional website to look for jobs, and now people are also providing. Input there. I think the number one thing that we have to recognize is that we need to adhere to HIPAA loss. Um, no matter what kind of outlet that you use, um, we need to respect patient privacy and confidentiality and autonomy.

Um, I think that, um. If we're not careful, you know, even using, uh, a patient or a client's story, you know, and not appropriately removing the identifiers, runs the risk of exposing someone's, you know, personal health issues. So we have to be very, very, um, modest and very, very, um, adhere to those rules. I would say.

Now, uh, social media has also, uh, given. Several people had voice. You know, the stay at home mom has a voice. The 96-year-old war vet has a voice. You know, the little 7-year-old playing video games has a voice, right? Everybody has a voice on social media, so it's also very important to a really highlight content from well-versed and vetted sources, whether it's a dietician, whether it's a mental health counselor, whether it's a physician, whoever it may be, it's crucial to make sure.

That this person knows what they're talking about, you know, and they have kind of either the skills, the experience, or the credentials to back it up because there are a lot of people out there that are claiming to, you know, be able to fix this issue. We can fix your blood pressure with this, that the other all natural.

You don't need medications. And a lot of individuals are falling in by the wayside and are, are. It's doing more harm than good. So definitely it's important to highlight content from vetted sources, credible sources that you know for sure they know what they're talking about. And there is science and evidence-based.

Um, I. Input behind what they're saying. I would also say, uh, social media, you have individuals from all different backgrounds, different educational levels. So if you're going to be using social media to give health related content, use clear and understandable language that is understandable across all education and reading levels.

It's very important, you know, sometimes you start using these. Big medical terms and then you've lost your audience. You know, sometimes even me, I sometimes, some of these words I don't even understand and I have to look, look it up, you know? So make sure that you can say something that people will understand and, um, ask the public what they want.

I. A lot of times you may think you know what is important for individuals to, to know about health or about themselves, but we can ask the public, you know, do a quick survey, do a, a, a email, you know, send a, an Instagram, just ask your audience, what do you wanna hear from me? What do you want to hear from healthcare professionals?

And, and they'll tell you and you can tailor, tailor your content to that. Wow. You, you, you hit on a lot of things there. I mean, obviously we saw the rise of misinformation rise during covid on social media. I. And it was so imperative that, uh, professionals like yourself get on social media to correct the, the case.

So I look at, uh, interviews we've done before with Dr. Jane Morgan, who did a, uh, steroid series where she sat on a stairway and talked about, uh, COVID and she's a cardiologist and giving, you know, advice on that. Or we did an interview with Dr. Refa, who's a pulmonologist, and he gave examples on TikTok on how to breathe and if you're suffering from breathing, uh, conditions, how you can resolve with that.

And then we also had a recent one with Dr. Durag who uses rap to educate patients, right. On how to take care and providing medical education from evidence backed studies, but in a different format. 

Advice for Healthcare Professionals on Social Media

So when you kinda look at these examples in yourself as well, you know, educating the populace on in mental health and wellness in a corporate setting, what advice are you giving, you know, some of the, the professionals who are looking for like, Hey, I want to get on social media.

I know it's important to be out there. What are some of the things that you're telling 'em to do to kind of. Get started in this process because we need more folks like you out there. Yeah. Um, definitely. Um, people tend to reach out to me to ask, you know, I see what you're doing on social media. How do I get, get in on it or whatever.

And I honestly, I tell them, um, do what you like. If you like to write, then write a, a, a blog post or write, you know, some information on the five ways to get more fiber into your diet. Something like that. If you like to talk, you consider short-term, short form videos, webinars, podcasts, like this. If you like to do kind of face-to-face engagement, consider maybe not just social media, but consider just.

Community involvement. See how you can, uh, really touch individuals and touch patients, not just in a hospital or a clinic setting. Maybe there's some type of local fair, any type of community engagement, you know, so I, I tell people just because other people are doing something doesn't necessarily mean that that's your avenue or that's your path.

I would really focus on what you like to do, what you enjoy doing, and what you're good at. Also, I think, uh, doing research. On the, uh, most common, uh, health trends, the current trends so that you can also have an understanding on what people want to hear. Um, also just having basic, uh, research on social media.

You know, now we know people have very short attention spans. Maybe your video doesn't need to be 60 minutes 'cause nobody's gonna listen to you after 27 minutes. Maybe, you know, maybe make sure that you understand, uh, how to garner attention. Gain attention and keep your audience engaged. And I would say the last thing would be don't do it alone.

You know, collaboration is key. If you have other individuals that you can speak with, that you can work with, that you can do a podcast like this one with, you know, it, it helps to really amplify your message and, and get it to more, um, audience members. I love that. So, you know, obviously consider the format you best at written form, verbal form, video form, partner with the right individuals and doing, you know, things like this CRO Cross, uh, collaborate.

I think that's so important. We're, we're big in that as well. Those are great. I, I Ideas. I was just thinking also of Dr. Einstein, who's a cardiologist, and he talked about reason why he got on social media is because he was getting the same questions over and over again. So he said, well, let me just put it out there.

So yes, my patients are asking these questions, but in a, a city and a state, he said, well, what if I, you know, expanded out? And then more people have the same questions and it can help them. I think intentionality is a key if you go in it with, I'm trying to help people. Yes, social media can be, uh, a little interesting with comments and people, you know, questioning things.

But if you go in there with the right frame of reference and mindset, uh, and intentionality, I think you're coming on the other end because you, you're out there to help people and I think people sense that the auten authenticity that you bring to it. So, no, this is great. Thank you for that information.

The Role of Technology in Healthcare

I mean, you know, technology, our warehouse, we do like remote patient monitoring. We help patients and doctors connect with cellular connected devices, but also with apps that keep patients engaged. What are your thoughts about technology and where it's going, especially around remote care programs, telehealth, and even the avid of ai, artificial intelligence, how can that help, you know, uh, individuals in corporate wellness environment or just, you know, just in general, what are your thoughts as a healthcare professional?

I. Um, you know, AI's here to stay, chat. GT is here to stay, you know, for a lot of people we're against it, but we have to embrace it and recognize that, um, if, if, if we do the right thing, it can be more advantageous than, um, hurtful. I think, um, when it comes to say employee health, corporate wellness, uh, data is key.

And I think that using. Remote monitoring from an employee standpoint is actually going to hopefully improve corporate culture and an environmental culture. You know, say for instance. A human resource or workplace wellness department can use the data from maybe a simple app that they give their their employees, you know, throughout the day you just press from one to five.

How is your stress level right now? Or is the project you're working on right now making you happy or more stressful? Then they can collect that data. And then use that to figure out what they need to do as an organization to improve kind of the mental health of their employees. So I think that is definitely crucial.

Um, even when you think of employees that may have say, chronic health conditions, trying to help them to. Manage their chronic conditions, whether it's, um, blood sugar monitoring, um, blood pressure monitoring, somebody with congestive heart failure monitoring, you know, their weight gain, their weight loss when they take their medications, and maybe connecting that with health resources that are within the company or, or maybe their doctor.

That could probably reduce, um, sick days. That can probably reduce call outs, you know, so again, I think that using remote patient monitoring to collect data and using that to support the, the, the employees will definitely in the long term likely help the bottom line of these organizations. I. I agree. I mean, uh, artificial intelligence is here.

I have a video where I talked about the details of what's happening with, it's moving so fast and so it's hard to get a grasp of it. So, you know, we went from, you know, uh, these, what they call large language models where you're actually, I. Getting information, feedback, you know, creating these stories. But the challenge with ai, you can recognize this as a scientific professional.

Uh, it can do something called, uh, you know, make up lies, right? Yeah. And so it is not really thinking, it's just predicting what the internet is told, told it, or taught it to say. And it may be incorrect. And so we need professionals, you know, in the front line that can gather the data and say, no, this is incorrect.

It needs to change like this to make sure it's correct. So, brings back the answer with so much speed that we think is accurate. But just because something is speedy doesn't mean it's, it's true. I. And so I think a lot of times, you know, people have to realize that AI is a great tool. All these tools are great, but they're tools and they still need that human interaction and, and a validation before you kind of release it out into the wild.

And also there've been talks about replacing healthcare professionals, right? With some of these tools. And I think, you know, we're still long way off some cases, you know, where they're be able to predict, you know, looking at radiology images and could predict certain things from that. I think that's valid and a good way to look at it.

Not making, you know, life or death decisions, clinical decisions for patients. Hopefully, you know, the technologists will slow that down a little bit and have more input from the healthcare professionals right before they release it out to the wild. So that's kind of what we're seeing in our space. Yeah, so, so more to come on that.

Yeah. I, I, I will say, um, there's nothing like the human touch. An AI or any robot cannot replace the human touch. There's nothing like being there when somebody's crying and holding their hand and touching their shoulder. There's nothing like, you know. Uh, encouraging somebody who's lost 20 pounds and now their blood sugar has gone down.

There's, there's nothing like that that I don't think chat, GPT or AI or anything like that will be able to replace. So the human aspect of, of, of life and healthcare, uh, I would hope that, that, that no type of technology modality would try to replace that. Yeah. Yeah. You would hope, you know, they're gonna try.

But, but we, we saw it during the covid that there was a big push for telehealth, which is great, and it's still useful, but, you know, the, it was, it had to be. And so because we just couldn't see patients face to face, so we saw, you know, growth a thousand percent. But if you look at the data now, that growth has decreased significantly, right?

Because. People still want that human touch, right? Yes, there's some usefulness for it, but for the most part, you know, they're getting back to pre covid levels of what you know, telehealth use. Because ultimately patients wanna see the doctor and have conversations. And then what we're doing is also just providing more data to the doctor, right?

So they can make faster decisions. So if the blood pressure is changing, you know, has increased, you know, above the recommended uh, American Medical Association or Heart Association recommendations. You can, you know, create, you know, change to their medication, you know, near real time. So things like that can help, you know, a little bit faster, but it doesn't replace the physician in our opinion.

So, no, this has been a great conversation. 

Conclusion and Where to Find Dr. Ampadu

Um, wow. Where can people find you and I. What's your next opportunity, speaking engagement or anything that you're doing out there, uh, with your, with your work? Well, I'll keep that a secret. I like, I like surprises, so I'll keep that a secret. But, um, uh, individuals can follow me on, uh, LinkedIn, um, under my name Akua Ampadu, A KUA, last name, A-M-P-A-D-U.

They can also find me on Instagram, dr cookie, D-O-C-T-O-R-K-U-K-I-E. It's a cute nickname that has just stuck with me. And yeah, that's where they can find me and engage with me and, um, hear more talk about corporate wellness and just, just, just life and holistic wellness and, and just trying to improve ourselves day-to-day for our loved ones and for our family and for ourselves.

Absolutely. Dr. Ampadu, thank you so much for your time. Please, everyone go check out her Instagram, LinkedIn as well, where she's creating impactful messaging for those that in this, in the corporate wellness space and just in general with her expertise. Well everyone, thank you again for listening. I hope you enjoyed another opportunity to find out what's happening in new Space of healthcare as we all adjust to new normal.

Have a great one. Thank you. Bye.