Physician Assistance Programs Address Behavioral and Performance Problems

Abstract

Practicing medicine is stressful, and it is becoming more so as the health care environment continues to change and evolve. However, physicians are not very good at taking care of themselves. Studies have shown that substantial percentages have no primary care physician themselves. There are also significant real and perceived barriers to seeking help for mental and behavioral issues, resulting in many physicians not getting the help that they need. The need for providing assistance in the mental and behavioral health area for physicians has never been greater, yet their use of traditional employee assistance programs is far less than that of other members of such programs because of a variety of factors. This article goes into more depth about the issues and provides case studies illustrating promising outcomes.