Latest News
DHQ Celebrates 31 Years
Doctors’ Health in Queensland’s service arm board chair Ross Phillipson led the charge in acknowledging the honourable work the organisation has done for the medical community since it first began operations more than 31 years ago. Along with formally announcing the...
DHQ in the News!
Listen to our DHQ radio segment that aired on Friday PM on ABC NQ Radio Drive - our piece is at 2:06:35 https://www.abc.net.au/radio/northqld/programs/north-qld-drive/drive/12561362 The online story is...
Research on Doctors’ Mental Health
Written by Dr Ross Phillipson Research has shown that the majority of doctors generally enjoy good physical health. However, there has been concern expressed over many years that the mental health of doctors is not as high as it should be. Sadly, the suicide rate...
Queensland’s bespoke support service for doctors and medical students is pleased to announce a new name to better reflect the support we’ve been providing to doctors and medical students in Queensland for over 30 years. Formerly your local doctors’ health advisory service (DHAS(Q) & QDHP) we will be now known together as “Doctors’ Health in Queensland” (DHQ).
Callers to our help-line will always speak to a senior GP or specialised counsellor who has had training and is experienced in supporting doctor and medical student colleagues with a wider range of general health and stress-related problems. Doctors’ Health in Qld’s...
***Big news!***
The Queensland Doctors' Health Programme is now Doctors' Health Queensland! Our helpline number is the same (07 3833 4352).
Its our 4th Birthday on the 1st June!
QDHP is celebrating 4 years this Monday 4th of June 2020. We have some exciting changes coming soon. We would like to thank all the wonderful people who have helped QDHP grow and have been involved in doctors' health in Queensland.
2020 Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day 5th June
Join colleagues, friends and health professionals Australia wide to kick off the 2020 CrazySocks4Docs Day with a not-to-be-missed virtual event hosted by Dr Sally Cockburn – family doctor, health advocate, media presenter and writer.Don your craziest socks...
A polite reminder:
We have recently been receiving a number of calls from concerned members of the public looking for guidance on the coronavirus. For information on the coronavirus please call the Department of Health's dedicated Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080....
What to expect when you call the QDHP Helpline:
When you call the Helpline, an agent at our paging service will answer your call. They will ask you for *a* name and contact number on which our on-call GP or counsellor can reach you. The confidential helpline is staffed by trained senior General Practitioners and...
October 10th was World Mental Health Day.
The following podcasts feature doctors talking about their own experiences with mental ill health. They speak out to inspire us all to #SeeBeyondTheStigma. In this Lifeline "Holding on to Hope" podcast, Dr Kieran Allen, himself a psychiatry registrar, speaks openly...
Check out the fantastic video by James Kable of The Hype Project of our art exhibition opening night event! Great memories.
https://vimeo.com/thehypeproject/review/365459220/16c123c19a
Reflections on the Creative Careers in Medicine Conference by the Queensland Doctors’ Health Programme’s Education Officer and Counsellor Vicky Dawes.
As a former doctor who now works in doctors’ health, I often walk away from medical conferences feeling slightly inadequate. My inner critic pops up saying “you could never do that”, “those speakers were all so much more intelligent/resilient/creative/hard-working...
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"I think there may have been something about me being a doctor, and being in my late fifties, most of the consultants were in their late fifties or fifties, our kids would be the same age… they weren’t brave enough to say “this is really bad news for you”. Maybe they hid behind the science…to avoid confronting [that] I am a man devoid of hope.”
Dr Kieran Sweeney, GP (1951-2009)
As a mesothelioma patient, Kieran wrote about his experiences, urgently calling for healthcare staff to improve the relational aspects of their care by considering the patient’s perspective and making changes accordingly.
For more information on the Sweeney Programme named after Dr Kieran Sweeney go to: www.pointofcarefoundation.org.uk/our-work/sweeney-programme/about-the-sweeney-programme/
Join our friends at Queensland Medical Women's Society for Christmas party celebrations!
Sunday 29th November, 4-7pm, The Medley Cafe.
For more information and to book your ticket go to: qld.afmw.org.au/2020-christmas-party/
2020 Christmas Party - Queensland Medical Women's Society
qld.afmw.org.au
Join us to celebrate QMWS’ 2020 Christmas Party! A cocktail style event at a beautiful riverside, outdoor, COVID-19 compliant venue, The Medley Cafe. Special guests of the evening include: – As...Doctors’ Health in Queensland wishes to announce that Dr Margaret Kay will be stepping aside today from her role as Medical Director and CEO.
She will continue to work with Doctors' Health in Queensland as a volunteer general practitioner supporting the education and training of our On Call GP Panel and continuing to support our advocacy towards enhancing the wellbeing of doctors and medical students across Queensland.
Please join us in thanking Margaret for her incredible work supporting the health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students across Queensland.
We think you will all agree her dedication, expertise and compassion has made a huge difference to the lives of the doctors and medical students she has helped.
Has your wellbeing been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? If the answer is yes, you are not alone.
The 2020 General Practice: Health of the Nation Report shows that:
🔷 In May 2020, one in two Australian GPs (52%) reported at least one negative impact to their wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
🔷 The most commonly reported impact was to work–life balance (33%).
🔷 More than one in four (27%) reported a deterioration in their mental health state.
🔷 GPs aged <45 years were more likely to report a deterioration in their mental health than GPs aged ≥45 years (33% versus 23%).
🔷 Female GPs were more likely to report a deterioration in their work–life balance than male GPs (35% versus 29%).
🔷 In mid-April 2020, almost one in three GPs in training reported they had needed to take leave due to self-isolation or illness. For 6% this was unpaid.
🔷 Three in four GPs in training reported a decrease in their patient load since the COVID-19 pandemic.
🔷 GPs in training reported being concerned about the disruption COVID-19 has caused to their training and employment, and the potential effects on their career and training progression.
www.racgp.org.au
The General Practice: Health of the Nation report draws on specifically commissioned research involving more than 1700 RACGP Fellows from all parts of Australia.A real good news story in doctors’ health!
Congratulations Dinesh!
You can connect with Dinesh’s organisation here: Doctors With Disabilities AustraliaCongratulations, Dr Dinesh Palipana! 👏
The senior resident doctor at Gold Coast University Hospital and co-founder of Doctors With Disabilities Australia was last night named the 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year.
Dr Palipana was the first quadriplegic medical graduate in Queensland, and was recently admitted as a lawyer.
He's appeared as a witness to the Disability Royal Commission advocating for equitable treatment for people with disabilities through COVID-19, and has already been recognised as Junior Doctor of the Year and with an Order of Australia.
Aunty McRose Elu took out the Queensland Senior Australian of the Year. She's an advocate for Torres Strait communities and climate change.
Conservationists and Brothers Daniel and William Clarke won the Queensland Young Australians of the year for their work in protecting endangered orangutan populations.
Natasha Johnston was named as Queensland Local Hero for her role as founder of Drought Angels, a service that delivers care packages and financial assistance to thousands of drought-stricken farming families across Queensland and NSW.
📷: Salty Dingo
Join us in congratulating our wonderful Medical Director Dr Margaret Kay for being awarded the 2020 RACGP Queensland Faculty Award.
Thank you for all your hard work Margaret!
Shining a spotlight on the health of doctors
medicine.uq.edu.au
Congratulations to Dr Margaret Kay, who has been awarded the 2020 RACGP Queensland Faculty Award, acknowledging her tireless work in the field of doctors’ health.Is empathy built into your workplace culture?
Every week we speak with doctors at all levels of seniority who describe experiencing rudeness, incivility and lack of empathy from their peers.
This has a negative impact not just on the doctors on the receiving end, but on onlookers and crucially on the care we provide for patients.
If you are a QLD based doctor or medical student and would like to confidential support call us on 07 3833 4352.
Medicine: a hierarchy lacking empathy?
insightplus.mja.com.au
I RECENTLY returned to hospital work and resumed clinical practice after a year or so⭐️⭐️⭐️ FREE WELLBEING SYMPOSIUM ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Register today!
Join our very own Dr Margaret Kay together with A/Prof Jane Munro, Dr Kym Jenkins, Dr Tracey Tay, Dr Andy Tagg, Dr Rebecca Szabo, Dr Simon Fleming, Mr Eric Levi, Dr Nardine Elzahaby, A/Prof Anne Powell and Prof Cathy Crock.
Doctors' Health in Queensland Victorian Doctors Health Program The University of Melbourne Gathering of Kindness
www.eventbrite.com.au
Leading experts on doctor's health & wellbeing, moral injury, system change learn with you & enact change together.Dr Kate Johnson writes about her experience of bullying in the medical profession in ABC News.
"This culture cannot be tackled by policy change alone. The powerful need to be given positive examples of better leadership. Supervisors need to be held accountable for bad behaviour. We need diversity in leadership.
Most importantly, junior and senior doctors alike need to respond to one another with empathy."
If you are a doctor or medical student and have been affected by bullying or harassment in the workplace you can contact your local doctors' health advisory service for support. Find the contact details here: www.drs4drs.com.au
For legal guidance call your medical defence organisation.
Doctors are Human Doctors Against Violence Towards Women - Public Page Avant Mutual MIGA MDA National Medical Indemnity Protection Society - MIPS Victorian Doctors Health Program Doctors' Health Advisory Service Western Australia Doctors' Health SA - DHSA Doctors' Health Advisory Service NSW & ACT Beyond Blue Lifeline Australia
As junior doctors, we're taught to grit our teeth and move on. But now I'm taking a stand
www.abc.net.au
After eight years as a doctor, I'm taking a break from the profession I love. An insidious culture of bullying and harassment within our hospitals has left me too emotionally exhausted to continue my ...Don't miss the latest episode of the Queensland Integrity in Health Podcast on Mandatory Reporting for Health Professionals.
With guest speakers Andrew Brown, Prof. Malcom Parker, Dr. Alex Markwell, Dr. Mellissa Naidoo and our very own Dr Margaret Kay.
Integrity Commissioner: Publications - Queensland Integrity in Health
www.integrity.qld.gov.au
Each year the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, together with its supporting partners—Health Ethics and Law Queensland, among others—arranges an Integrity in Health Series.Are you looking for resources to help you to transform your practice into a healthy workplace?
Check out the American Medical Association (AMA) Ed Hub.
Here you can find modules and how to guides on:
🔹 Burnout and wellbeing edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/pages/professional-well-being
🔹 Organisational culture change in medicine edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/pages/leading-change
🔹 Peer support for physicians edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/module/2767766
🔹 Success stories edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/pages/success-stories
How to Address Physician Burnout and Well-Being in Your Practice - from AMA Steps Forward
edhub.ama-assn.org
Physician well-being is influenced by both organizational and individual factors. This collection of AMA's STEPS Forward™ modules offer strategies on how to engage health system leadership, understa...Dame Clare Gerada is Medical Director of the UK based Practitioner Health Programme, a confidential health service for doctors, dentists and medical students.
In The Guardian, she writes about the importance of psychological PPE for health professionals in the UK as they face a second wave of Covid-19.
We may currently be in a more favourable position with regards to Covid-19, certainly here in Queensland, but the messages are still very relevant for all health practitioners.
'Psychological PPE' is what Britain's health professionals urgently need now | Clare Gerada
www.theguardian.com
Medical staff on the frontline will need mental-health support almost as much as face masks, says the chair of Doctors in DistressAre medical students allowed to grieve?
Read final year UQ Medicine student Harry Copeland's poignant insight in MedicGuild on witnessing death and grieving for patients as a medical student.
Are Medical Students Allowed to Grieve?
medicguild.com
A final year medical student reflects on his first time witnessing a patient die and what it means to grieve as a medical student.The Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework was officially launched today, as part of a national commitment to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of Australian doctors and medical students.
The Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework was developed under the guidance of a national working group and in consultation with doctors, doctors in training and medical students in addition to a review of best practice evidence.
It aims to guide coordinated action on the mental health of doctors and medical students through target areas including - improving training and work environments, recognising and responding to those needing support, improving the response to doctors and medical students impacted, the culture of the medical profession to enable wellbeing and coordinated action and accountability.
Life in Mind Avant Mutual Deakin University Australian Medical Association Everymind AMSA: Australian Medical Students' Association Doctors' Health in Queensland Doctors' Health Advisory Service NSW & ACT Doctors' Health SA - DHSA Victorian Doctors Health Program
Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework - Life in Mind Australia
lifeinmind.org.au
A national commitment to coordinated action on the mental health of doctors and medical students.Brené Brown providing wise guidance on burnout in this podcast.Burnout. We’re all there. It’s exhausting. The good news? There’s a path through it.
In this episode of #UnlockingUs I talk to Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagoski about their book, Burnout.
I’ve been practicing their 7 “complete the stress cycle strategies” since we recorded the podcast and I must say: Total game changer!
HUGE learning for me: Dealing with the STRESSOR is just one part of dealing with burnout. The other part is dealing with the STRESS by completing the stress cycle and getting through that emotions tunnel.
You can listen to our conversation here: bit.ly/3iRRX4Q
The time is right to set a reform agenda in Australia that positions the mental health and wellbeing of the medical profession as a national priority.
Join Dr Hash Abdeen, Webinar Facilitator and Chair, AMA Council of Doctors in Training, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, and our Panel for the launch of Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework to guide coordinated action on the mental health of doctors and medical students, developed with the support of medical leaders in Australia.
The webinar will discuss how the Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework can support significant reform and change across a range of settings with actions that can be taken at an individual, organisation, service and government level to support and mental health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students over the long term.
Register your attendance at: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7TekUnFOSNuzFYHscy6Ljw
Find out more about Every Doctor, Every Setting: A National Framework and the webinar program here: ama.com.au/every-doctor-every-setting
Thank you to medical student Jasmine Elliott for writing this piece for MedicGuild "“Burnout isn’t a trophy” – Breaking the Stigma Around Taking Time Off in Medicine"
"Burnout isn’t a trophy” - Breaking the Stigma Around Taking Time Off
medicguild.com
A 3rd year medical student reflects on prioritising recovery over resilience and challenges the toxic cycle of overworking and poor health.If you are a QLD-based GP trainee and have been affected by the technical outage and subsequent postponement of the AKT and KFP RACGP exams and would like some independent and confidential support you can call us: www.dhq.org.au
Thanks to Vicky Dawes our Counsellor and Education Officer for sharing this story.
From Vicky: "It's a scary thing to share your own personal story and to put your name to it, but by doing this I hope to let other doctors and medical students going through tough times know that they are not alone and that it is possible not just to recover but to go on to thrive. This is my small part to help break down the stigma surrounding burnout and showing vulnerability in medicine".
AMSA Mental Health Beyond Blue AMA Queensland Council of Doctors in Training#WeAreMedicine #WeAreHuman - STORY #5
“I’m discussing the plan for a man in Resus 1 with the ICU reg, when an RMO pops their head around the curtain to ask if I can review one of their patients. I bark back, “ARE THEY DYING? NO? WELL IT CAN WAIT THEN”. What have I become?” - Dr Vicky Dawes
READ VICKY’S FULL STORY HERE: qld.ama.com.au/sites/qld/files/QLD/PDFs/MentalHealthcampaign_Story5.pdf
MORE INFO: qld.ama.com.au/we-are-medicine-and-we-are-human
- with Doctors' Health in Queensland Victorian Doctors Health Program Doctors' Health SA - DHSA Doctors' Health Advisory Service Western Australia Doctors' Health Advisory Service NSW & ACT
#WeAreMedicine_AMAQ #WorldMentalHealthDay #AMAQCouncilOfDoctorsInTraining #LookAfterYourMentalHealthAustralia #InThisTogether
Take a moment for a musical break thanks to these wonderful medical mums from across Australia & New Zealand...
Medical Mums Sing in Solidarity - Hallelujah
youtu.be
Medical mums and their families across Australia and New Zealand collaborated from various stages of COVID lockdown and stress. We shook off our inhibitions,...If you are a doctor or medical student in QLD experiencing difficulties, no matter whether clinical or personal - you can call the free and confidential Doctors' Health in Queensland
helpline on 07 3833 3452. We are here for you.#WeAreMedicine #WeAreHuman
“I still remember my first MET call...”
READ WHAT HAPPENED HERE: qld.ama.com.au/sites/qld/files/QLD/PDFs/MentalHealthcampaign_Story4.pdf
SHARE this story to let your colleagues know you are there for support if needed.
MORE OF YOUR STORIES HERE: bit.ly/33elTU7
#WeAreMedicine_AMAQ #WorldMentalHealthDay #AMAQCouncilOfDoctorsInTraining #LookAfterYourMentalHealthAustralia #InThisTogether
Upcoming online event from AMA Victoria and the Victorian Doctors Health Program.
Register using the link below...
Info - COVID-19, Healthcare Providers and Mental Health Webinar
amavic.eventsair.com
This webinar will describe the lessons learnt from 20 years of mental health research following disasters including the natural history of emotional challenges, risk factors and typical symptoms. We t...Racism is unacceptable anywhere in Medicine.
If you would like to speak to a peer in confidence about this, or any other issue you may be facing, you can call Doctors’ Health in QLD 24/7 on 07 3833 4352.As an intern I did a rotation in orthopaedics. A few weeks before the end of the term we had one patient who was hostile, angry and rude. He would complain of my incompetence.
I had been made to think I was inadequate, but it was in fact related to the colour of my skin...
FULL STORY HERE: bit.ly/3lbu6if
SHARE this story to let your colleagues know you are there for support if needed.
MORE INFO: bit.ly/33elTU7
#WeAreMedicine_AMAQ #WorldMentalHealthDay #AMAQCouncilOfDoctorsInTraining #LookAfterYourMentalHealthAustralia #InThisTogether
with Doctors' Health in Queensland
Are you a doctor caring for other health professionals?
Watch this facilitated panel discussion featuring Dr Roger Sexton from Doctors' Health SA - DHSA, Dr Emma Adams, Psychiatrist, and Christina Sougleris, Psychologist, to be better equipped to:
🔹 describe tips and strategies for providing care to a health professional who is seeking care for their mental health
🔹 identify ways of addressing privacy, stigma and discrimination of mental health issues among health professionals
🔹 demonstrate the importance of collaboration and appropriate referrals when supporting a health professional seeking care for mental health concerns.
Treating a health professional with mental health issues
www.mhpn.org.au
An MHPN Webinar - Treating a health professional with mental health issuesOver the next 3 weeks, AMA Queensland and AMA Queensland Council of Doctors in Training will be releasing a series of stories from doctors and medical students who detail some of the difficult points of their careers and how they have dealt with this.
Through these stories we can help to break down stigma, and offer hope and support to those of you who are struggling at the moment.
If you are a QLD based doctor or medical student, you can call the Doctors' Health in Queensland helpline 24/7 for confidential support and advice on 07 3833 4352.
You can help Doctors' Health in Queensland to support the health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students across Queensland by donating today!
Your donation will help to:
🔹 fund our 24/7 confidential helpline
🔹 provide training and education on a range of doctors' health topics
🔹 fund research into doctors' health
About Doctors' Health in Queensland:
In 1989, a group of doctors decided to develop an organised approach to assisting their colleagues in difficulty. This lead to the formation of the Doctors' Health Advisory Service (QLD), (DHAS(Q), under the leadership of Professor Joan Lawrence. Since then, the DHAS(Q), now known as Doctors' Health in Queensland, has regularly comforted, supported and relieved the distress of doctors suffering sickness, helplessness, disability and misfortune.
Upcoming free webinar series from The Alfred
"The three themed sessions will highlight the criticality of compassion to the provision of high-quality care and clinician well-being, and consider how the notion informs practice at both the local level and the health and social policy level."
Register here: emergencyeducation.org.au/program/compassion-is-care/
Compassion is Care | Free webinar series for healthcare workers | Alfred Emergency Education
emergencyeducation.org.au
The Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatrists, invites all medical professionals to join international doctors' health expert Dr Michael Myers for a free webinar: Physician wellness in the era of COVID-19.
Time: 8:00am (AEST)
Date: 30th September 2020
Online, via Zoom
Register here: ranzcp-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4gCdUhmKR_6XImdfzdHHUQ
In medicine it can be hard to identify when a colleague is going through a tough time. Work can be busy and stressful with colleagues that we don’t have much time to get to know. When we are experiencing the same stressors and difficulties ourselves it can be hard to recognise the impact on our colleagues and peers but also crucially on our own wellbeing.
There’s not a lanyard badge that says “Having a tough day. Please be kind and ask me how I am.” That lanyard badge might in fact look like unfriendliness or irritability, it might be being late to work or trying to juggling exam study, clinical work and home life. Think about what your colleagues are saying, what they are doing and what is going on in their life. Take a moment to reflect on your own words, behaviours and life challenges too.
Asking someone “R U OK?” doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. R U OK? is in small moments of compassionate connection that every one of us can do no matter who we are, where we are working or who we are asking. A kind word, an gentle enquiry, a moment of connection. Sometimes the smallest interventions can have the biggest impact.
At Doctors' Health in Queensland we get calls to our confidential helpline from doctors and medical students at every stage of their careers, from the greenest medical student to the most senior consultant. We get calls relating to physical and mental health problems, clinical situations, errors and complaints, personal challenges, stress, burnout, and bullying.
No matter what challenge they are facing, every one of our callers is looking for connection, support and validation that they are not alone. Often we are the first person they have spoken to about the difficulties they are facing. There is nothing to distinguish these doctors from yourselves. Our callers are your colleagues, your friends, your seniors and juniors, they are just like you, they are you.
You can ask R U OK?
It’s ok to say you’re not.
A huge thank you to medical student Hanh from Cedar Nest Productions and her friends for making this amazing video for us.
R U OK Day
youtu.be
CEDAR NEST PRODUCTIONS presents a SHORT FILM HEY, R U OK? Lead Cast Sarah RIKKI PRIEST Jared ANDY SINCLAIR Sarah’s colleague KATIE NICOLE ICU consultant DERE...Dr Mya Cubitt, Emergency Consultant and Chair of the Victorian Faculty Board of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, penned this powerful ABC News piece, describing the complex range of emotions she experienced after testing positive for COVID-19.
I'm an emergency doctor, but when I caught coronavirus, I found new insights into this pandemic
www.abc.net.au
As an emergency physician I know illness is the great leveller. When I found myself alone in a room, quarantining with COVID-19, I understood that although loneliness isn't a symptom of this virus it ...