As doctors we spend all of our time learning to care for others.

Our entire education is spent learning all of the latest facts and figures and protocols so that we can provide the best possible health care for others. But in all of that, do we take the time to truly and deeply take care of ourselves? And if not, why not?!

Burnout rates in medicine are 40-55%. This is not just something to be a teeny little bit concerned about in the medical profession. This is a global pandemic! It is affecting literally more than half of the medical profession, globally.

It would seem in fact, that as doctors, everywhere, that we are not very good at taking care of ourselves.

In fact, our culture promotes the opposite.

Our culture is about celebrating how tired we are, celebrating how much we can push ourselves beyond our limits. We celebrate and encourage black and dark humour which distances us from people. We celebrate sleep deprivation and long and hard work hours.  We decry sensitivity and feelings and distance ourselves from those inconvenient human sorts of things as much as possible and if we feel them we Never. Ever. Let on. that we are affected by things. Continue reading →

At a medical conference, for doctors, at the end of last year, we were informed in one talk that:

1. Doctors don’t like treating patients
2. They don’t have time for it
3. They don’t do it well, and not only that
4. They are not interested in doing it well

Needless to say as a person who loves medicine and people I was somewhat stunned (and I must confess, moderately incensed!) to be told from the pulpit so to speak, how I do and feel about my job from someone who has never met me or spent time in my clinic. And I am not alone in this response and feeling given the conversations I had with others who were in the same room as me when this invective was unleashed.

I heartily disagree with the statements that were presented to us. I personally feel they are coming from a burnt out jaded perspective, from someone who has given up on medicine and people in medicine. But this is not the first time I have been apprised of such attitudes in medicine. I have read papers that have said that doctors ought to have their attention focused on diagnosis only, rather than the day to day treatment of patients. And I have had conversations with peers who also feel that is where we need to have our attentions focused. Some people are proposing that doctors ought to ‘just diagnose’ and ‘other people’ ought to do the treating, following protocols, such as nurses.

It concerns me deeply to hear such perspectives gaining momentum and I am concerned for the future of health care and medicine.

Medicine is about people.

People are the heart of medicine. Continue reading →

Across the globe, increasingly evidence is coming to light that people in our profession are suffering.

Its considered that we have about twice the rate of suicide as the general public. With reported rates being anywhere between 1.1-5.7 times higher than the general public⁶. It is known that our suicide rate is higher than any other professional group.

We have a higher rate of suicidal ideation than the general public, with 25% of doctors at any time having thought about killing themselves³. 10% in the last 12 months³.

We have a higher rate of both high psychological distress and higher rates of anxiety than the general public³.

We have far higher rates of burnout than anyone else in society. In fact, between 40-55% of the profession are burnt out with rates increasing over the last decade⁹. Burnout is not a benign condition. It is associated with exhaustion, depersonalisation and a feeling that the work is not worthwhile, and perceived errors. It is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, diabetes, suicidal ideation and musculoskeletal complaints¹. Furthermore, it is associated with higher rates of medical errors and lower rates of patient satisfaction^2,7. Continue reading →