Doctors' health and wellbeing stories

Doctors do a demanding job - and nowhere more so than in family medicine, where we are close to the emotions and stresses of many individuals and their communities. Resources – financial, practical and personal – are often too little, so we have to find effective ways to protect and sustain ourselves to avoid the real risks of burnout and illhealth. As preparation for my keynote in 2013 on Doctors Health and Wellbeing, I would value brief views from WONCA colleagues anywhere in the world on the following issues:

·        What effective ways have you found of sustaining your own health and wellbeing?
·        What contribution can training (your own and when you train others) make?
·        How can we assist each other and colleagues to stay healthy?
·        What are the main risks that have undermined your ability to remain balanced (‘resilient’) under pressure?
·        How can we help with this through WONCA?
A discussion area has been set up in the WONCA forum - please check www.globalfamilydoctor.com and register for the WONCA forum to gain access. Alternatively, email me on secure university address ([email protected]). I shall anonymise all material and handle with care!
Many thanks
 
Professor Amanda Howe MD FRCGP FAcadMEd
Key note speaker Prague 2013