The importance of work for doctor's health - Profession Dame Carol Black at the 13th International Conference on Physician Health

The 13th International Conference on Physician Health (ICPH) opens today in London, UK.  The conference is sponsored by the American, British and Canadian Medical Association and has chosen to focus on milestones and transitions relevant to the lives of physicians around the world.

Professor Dame Carol Black, a Principal of Newnham College Cambridge and an Expert Adviser on Health and Work to the Department of Health, England and Chair of the Governance Board of the Centre for Workforce Intelligence.  In November 2011, she completed an independent review for the UK Government of sickness absence in Britain that has led to considerable change in the workforce in the UK.

The UK has done a great deal of work in the area of workplace health.  Professor Black referred to a wealth of research done in Trusts, Hospitals, Private Practice Settings and think tanks....and consistently linked studies to practical lessons for physicians.

Some of these lessons include:

- Doctors are workers employed in a safety-critical sector (on par with aviation, oil industry, rail)

- Product of labour is health

- Work is, in general, good for health (Marmot and The Work Foundation) providing it is "good work" in a "good workplace" (e.g., visible leadership, accountable managers, attention to health, empowering employees to care for their health, fair, flexible)

- Good workplaces engage doctors well

- Engaged workforces are safer - less accidents, complaints, errors

- In the UK, common mental health problems, MSK issues, workplace/employee disengagement, and other issues prevent doctors from working...or working well

- Family physicians play critical role in helping patients, including doctors, in both leaving work and returning to work; the medical certificate they write to employers is critical for an appropriate and successful rehabilitation

- Worklessness is a health hazard for many physicians

- The children of today are the doctors of tomorrow and should be empowered to choose a healthy workplace

- Tools like the NHS Roadmap to Workplace Wellness and Health@Work Charters helpful and positive http://tinyurl.com/ogt9u2c

- Emphasized the need to develop services and supports for physicians moving towards and through retirement

Perhaps the two most powerful comment for me were her emphasis on working with education and social systems to enhance the resilience of today's children and her identification of critical elements of a healthy practice environment.  Putting change into practice will require a great deal of political influence and leadership.