Physicians Advocating Wellness – How We Started

There is something new and exciting happening in physician health these days – groups of Physicians Advocating Wellness (PAW groups) are getting together in various communities around the province.

But how did these grassroots groups come together?

The concept of local physician health advocacy groups was developed a few years ago Dr. Paul Farnan, the former executive director of the BC Physician Health Program (PHP). In his experience with physician-health issues, he recognized a pattern in which doctors would consult the PHP only when there was a full fledged problem. His vision was to create community based networks that were focused on education, prevention and early intervention so that serious issues did not arise or, at least, could be successfully addressed in their early stages. He recognized that physician health and wellbeing encompassed the physician’s whole life – from the personal to the professional. And he didn’t want a cataclysmic event, such as a physician suicide, to rally the medical community into taking action around physician health.

In July 2007 and again in September 2007, he invited B.C. doctors and administrators with an interest in championing physician health to join with him in promoting his vision within the province’s communities.

These physicians quickly moved to establish themselves as an autonomous group who would liaise with the Physician Health Program and would form small local groups within their respective communities.

In January 2008, when Dr. Andrew Clarke was appointed the PHP’s new executive director, he built upon the momentum created by the face-to-face meetings that had taken place around physician wellness and the catchy PAW tag was settled upon to describe these on-the-ground groups of physicians. The tag was originally conceived by a group of Maple Ridge physicians who had been using the name for their own local group.

While that momentum continues, the goal is to have many more PAW groups across the province. Local groups often bring in speakers, look out for colleagues, help their families, and generally focus on overall physician physical, emotional and mental wellness, whether it’s how to be a physician to other physicians, how to handle aggressive colleagues, or how to deal with family issues such as relationship problems.

To that end, here are some tips for launching one in your community:

Find a core group of people who are passionate about physician wellness and committed to setting up a program and making it work. This involves time and creativity.

Plan an event. It can be simple – from inviting a group of physicians to a restaurant for dinner to encourage often-needed collegiality – to more formal, such as arranging for a speaker to address a group on relevant topics, such as physician depression, compassionate communication (hyperlink to website) or more non-professional themes such as financial planning. Events are particularly important for doctors without hospital privileges, as they may lack connection with other doctors. Isolation can play a big role in a variety of physician health issues.

Liaise with your local health authority for funding. Marketing can be a useful component in setting up a PAW program, and the health authorities can help with funding for such things.

Finally, call the PHP for more information: 604-747-0747.

Physicians understand what other physicians experience professionally on a daily basis. PAW groups embrace not only the professional aspects of a doctor’s life, but the personal as well. And that is good for physicians, their families, patients and communities.