Main navigation

Healthy Doctor Initiatives

Since 2004, the RACGP has taken a proactive role in addressing doctor health issues. The following outlines progress so far, and provides current resources, programs and links to address GP Health.

Background

The Professional Peer Support Program Committee (PPSPC) of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) was formed in 2004 in response to considerable concerns around doctors’ health and well-being. The committee is composed of representatives from a broad range of medical organisations, and operates under the Quality Care and Research Unit of the RACGP. It is an independent committee whose members report on the committee’s activities to their respective organisations. The primary objective of the committee is to promote health and well being amongst medical practitioners as a fundamental element of professional life.

• In 2004 the committee commissioned a literature review of doctors’ mental health. “The Conspiracy of Silence –emotional health amongst Medical Practitioners” ¹> reported that the literature in the past fifty years consistently cites high levels of stress, burnout, dissatisfaction with work, high levels of psychiatric illness and depression amongst medical practitioners.
• Following the completion of the literature review, the RACGP commissioned the development of a self care guidebook “Keeping the Doctor Alive: a self-care guidebook for medical practitioners” ². This provides doctors with information and practical resources to encourage them to identify the challenges they face and to assist in developing appropriate self-care strategies.
• In 2005 beyondblue and the RACGP invested in the beyondblue / Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Medical Workforce Initiative, which trialled a model of professional peer support as a strategy to address the issues identified in earlier work. The major challenge of this project was to promote a model of self care (peer support groups) to busy practitioners who had previously considered concepts of ‘support’, ‘mentoring’, and ‘supervision’ as an aspect of vocational training or a response to poor performance.
• In 2006 the RACGP distributed 19 000 copies of Keeping the Doctor Alive to our members and members of other medical colleges. This resource provides doctors with exercises to facilitate exploration and discussion about professional and personal issues.
• In 2007 the RACGP commissioned Creating a culture of care: Junior doctor well-being in Hospital settings ³), which identified key issues for junior doctors as the lack of support, lack of training and the need for a systems-based approach to institutional reform.
• In September 2008 the RACGP introduced the GP Support Program in line with the college's commitment to foster a culture of self care amongst general practitioners. It is available to all Australian RACGP members who are registered medical practitioners. Members can access professional advice to help cope with life's stressors which may include personal and work related issues that can impact on their wellbeing, work performance, safety, workplace morale and psychological health. Members can access face to face and telephone counselling during business hours or counselling for traumatic incidents or crisis situations 24 hours, 7 days a week

Key resources and references Clode, D. (2004) “The Conspiracy of Silence: emotional health among Medical Practitioners”. A review of the literature for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Clode, D. (2005) “Keeping the Doctor Alive - A Self-care Guidebook for Medical Practitioners” The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Clode, D. (2007) Creating a culture of care: Junior doctor well-being in hospital settings, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Last Modified: 15 June 2011
Authorised By: Clinical Improvement and Membership