When it comes to your own health, be PROactive!

When your patients are unwell or need care, you take every step to help them. But what happens when you suffer from a problem that affects your own health? What do you do?

PROactive is an alliance of Alberta’s healthcare partners, working together to fund and implement a multi-pronged action plan, designed to promote physician wellness, leadership development, peer support and demonstration projects. The initiative also aims to address disruptive behaviour, which can be caused by illness and burnout (in addition to system issues).

While PROactive partners are still creating a detailed action plan to provide support for the coming years, physicians can take steps now to keep their own health front and centre:

• First, ensure you have supports in place-this can be through family, colleagues or health teams;
• Second, have your own primary care physician and see them regularly.; and
• Finally, know additional, confidential support is also available from the Alberta Medical Association’s Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP) and CPSA’s Physician Health Monitoring Program (PHMP). PFSP provides support, referral and case management to ALL physicians (and their families), residents and students, while PHMP supports and monitors those whose health condition is affecting their medical practice. In the end, both programs aim to help you manage your personal health issues so you can stay in practice.

Physician health and wellness is an important factor in reducing the impact of disruptive physician behavior. More importantly, it’s key to you providing the best care possible to your patients.

Learn more about PROactive and its partners.