When the Doctor is Distressed

While a lot of attention has been given to the long work hours of residents and medical errors, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have found that distress, and not only fatigue, contributed to errors by doctors-in-training. Residents who suffered from burnout and depression could pose as much risk to patients as those doctors-in-training who were exhausted, regardless and independent of their level of fatigue. 

In this week's "Doctor and Patient" column, I interview to Dr. Colin P. West, the lead author of that study, and write about a colleague who could neither admit to nor find support for the distress in his life. How can we address the high levels of distress in training and practice so that doctors don't burn out, lose their sense of empathy and make errors? How can we help individual doctors thrive?

Please leave your comments below or on Tara Parker-Pope's "Well" blog.

Comments

[Eileen Maguire]

Hi Pauline,

Apropos this particular column, I simply wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoyed your book. It has kept me reading late into the night, and absorbed me completely. I was struck by how lyrically you write, and about issues that are relevant to us all as a community. Your energy levels and drive must be incredible! Best wishes from Dublin, Ireland. Kind regards, Eileen Maguire

[Pauline]

Thank you, Eileen! I hope to visit Dublin one day.
All best,
Pauline