ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 328
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Caring for doctors: For ourselves and for our colleagues
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Dr Margaret Kay1, A/Prof Jill Benson2, Dr Shaun Prentice3
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The University of Queensland, 2University of Adelaide, 3The Royal Australian College of
General Practitioners
This mini workshop focuses on doctors’ health from the perspective of the family physician,
recognising the importance of personal self-care and the need for expertise to care for colleagues.
Initially the evidence for improving the wellbeing of the doctor to enhance the care provided to patients
will be outlined. A brainstorming activity will encourage participants to identify and challenge the myths
that surround doctors’ health. The current doctors’ health evidence will be presented to enhance the
participants’ existing knowledge.
Working together, strategies for addressing personal self-care across the many dimensions of
wellbeing will be identified, recognising the barriers that family physicians can face when addressing
their personal self-care needs. New research recognising how diversity in practice can strengthen
resilience will be included. The importance of regular self-reflection and tools to enable this process will
be underscored.
Small group work will engage participants in identifying the barriers that doctors experience when
accessing care, and feedback from groups will be supplemented with an outline of the current
knowledge about these issues. These barriers preventing doctors seeking care exist for both mental
and physical health concerns. Strategies for personally navigating these barriers will be discussed.
Resources for assisting colleagues to navigate these barriers will also be provided, establishing an
understanding of the importance of collegial support.
As doctors are encouraged to have a family doctor, family doctors who provide this care need the
key skills required to provide quality care for their doctor-patients. An evidence-based framework for
delivering care to doctor-patients will be presented. The current legal landscape and responsibilities
of mandatory reporting will be outlined. While outlining the importance of establishing boundaries to
enable therapeutic relationships to thrive, the professional and ethical complexities that can arise when
the patient is a doctor will be acknowledged.
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