The purpose of this chapter is to explore why in the medical profession, many of the ills seen in society among the general population find strong reflection. In the course of treating patients, doctors often tend to take their own health and well- being lightly. This may not only pose problems for doctors but also their patients. These issues are especially rampant and serious among resident doctors. They must be promptly detected and measures taken to deal with them.
TopKey Points
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To look at the various personal areas of the life of a medical professional
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To understand how these personal issues come in the way of good health care delivery
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To appreciate some of the problems of resident doctors at the workplace
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To explore ways and means to address these problems
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To appreciate the particular problem of the social phenomenon of gender bias on personal life
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To specifically explore the syndrome of burnout, stress and depression among doctors
TopIntroduction
Doctors are the custodians of health for the entire community, yet quite often and at a personal level, a doctor is not too concerned about his or her own health. Even when one is concerned, there is often neither the time nor the luxury for taking care of one’s own health.
In undergraduate medical school, one learns about the normal functions of the body and various disease states, and by the time one comes into the clinical years, more allocation of personal time to patients and studies does often very easily mean that an equivalent amount of time is taken away from paying attention to one’s health- right from finding enough time to eat or hours spent in restful sleep to being vigilant towards minor ailments that plague one from time to time. The cumulative effect of all this is the doctor succumbing to ill health or facing exhaustion and early retirement from his or her career.