Summary: ‘Top-down, bottom-up, sideways in - the changes need to come from all ways and we need to look after each other’ Dr. Shan Hussain is in conversation with Amandip Sidhu, Founder of Doctors in Distress. His brother, a consultant cardiologist, worked to the point of burn out and ultimately felt he only had one way out. This personal tragedy led Amandip to create Doctors in Distress; to raise awareness of the importance of looking after the health and well-being of those medical professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for everyone. Amandip shares the key messages for change that need to be embraced in order for everyone to be able to move forward together and the ways change can be facilitated in this thought-provoking episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS There is huge pressure on doctors institutionally but there is also a failure to give them the right level of support and ensure the right amount of oversight exists and is in place. Doctors work with an obligation and moral pressure to do their best for their patients, this can make it very hard to walk away even if you are exhausted. There needs to be change, so that people feel they can speak up say that they need help Professionals in the system need to challenge themselves to look at the teamwork and ask themselves is the best way for everyone within the team? rather than allow individuals to pick up high workloads. Doctors in distress Doctors in Distress was created as a vehicle to raise issues around doctors mental health and facilitate the learnings from my brother’s experience. Stigma Stigma prevents doctors from speaking out.There must be routes through which people can ask for help without fear of it impacting on their careers or feeling they are failing. Good Leadership We advocate that there is good and effective leadership for doctors and healthcare workers to make sure that the right systems are in place to monitor workload. Good leadership involves treating doctors with dignity and respect and remembering that when doctors feel they can do no more for a patient it is very destructive mentally for them as individuals. Culture and behaviours The culture within the medical profession is a competitive one and this ethos has driven medicine to where it is now but is it the right culture moving forward? It’s now time to rethink the dynamics within the medical profession. Its currently very fragmented with different ‘tribes’ such as GPs, the surgeons, the anaesthetists and in some areas there are even sub-tribes. There needs to be a change in culture and a move towards looking after each other. BEST MOMENTS ‘The culture is focused on the patient comes first in absolutely everything even if it’s at the expense of your own health and well-being – you should just be able to get on with it’ ‘Being signed off sick can be perceived by a medical professional as the ultimate level of failure as a doctor’ ‘The NHS and health systems have not really expanded in relation to the population explosion’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Enduring Health Podcast Doctors in Distress website ABOUT THE HOST Dr. Shan Hussain is an author, general practitioner, health coach, wellness advisor and ambassador to the World Health Innovation Summit. As Founder of The Health Studio and a medical doctor of 18 years, he has a special interest in health promotion and disease prevention. He works with individuals and organisations to help naturally improve health in a sustainable, holistic manner. Dr. Hussain has developed several coaching and mentorship programmes designed to help reverse the symptoms of many stress-related health problems. His best-selling book, 'The Big Prescription' serves as a guide for readers to learn about evidence-based holistic health practices that create the foundation of his work. CONTACT METHOD Connect with Dr. Shan Hussain through his website at https://thehealthstudio.net/ If you would like to support our podcast, please visit our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/enduringhealth Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/enduringhealth See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
