Programme

Details of the conference programme

Abstracts

Download the conference abstract publication

Online posters

Posters were presented at the conference and online

Oral presentations

Presentations were given in a number of themed groups.

Doctors' Health Matters - Finding The Balance

Monday 17 - Wednesday 19 November 2008
BMA House, London


Programme

The conference included keynote and panel sessions on key topics in doctors' health. A wide range of parallel oral and workshop sessions presented a huge amount of new and exciting research into different areas of doctors' health and the extensive poster exhibition helped keep delegates abreast of the latest research developments.

photo cube Download the conference programme and session selection (PDF format 542k)




Keynote address: A fine balance: achieving work-life harmony
Professor Mamta Gautam, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa
Stress is an inherent factor in a doctor's life. Using a biopsychosocial approach, Professor Gautam outlined the main causes of stress in medicine. The number one cause of stress, and the number one solution to deal with it, were revealed. The very traits that enable doctors to excel also make us more susceptible to stress: an essential component of success is the skill to attain balance in our personal and professional lives. Balancing our lives is all about setting priorities and making choices. Using rich clinical vignettes, Professor Gautam offered general approaches to achieving work-life harmony, as well as specific strategies to assist in achieving this balance.

Doctors’ Health: State of the Art
A panel session reviewing the development and current status of doctors' health programmes in the US, Canada, Europe and the UK: strengths, weaknesses and the challenges of change in the 21st century.

Losing control or grasping an opportunity?
An international panel session discussing the challenges of working in a changing professional environment, including the effects of organisational change on doctors’ health and the difficulties of developing an effective support system in a shifting professional landscape.

Taking a reality check on complaints and litigation
Complaints and litigation processes can be extremely stressful experiences, for both doctor and complainant. This session aimed to understand the impact on the individuals involved as well as finding ways to help, and looking at experiences from Canada, US, New Zealand, South Africa and UK.

Activity matters!
A panel session addressing the importance of physical activity to doctors’ health. Reviewing the health of doctors as a group, and looking at some of the psychological and organisational ‘barriers’ to exercise, this session also identified some practical steps for both individuals and organisations to take to encourage a healthier workforce.

New this year!

Facilitated discussion groups
Small group discussion: giving delegates an opportunity to reflect with colleagues on themes arising from the day and their impact on them and their practice.

Find the balance
The conference programme included opportunities for activity and making the most of the local facilities, including:

Walk the Doc
Comfortable walking shoes were needed for health-paced walking tours of the local area.

Mindfulness sessions
Morning sessions included meditation, yoga and relaxation exercises to help delegates start the day relaxed and focussed.

Art Gallery
Doctors' paintings and drawings exhibited in our conference gallery.

Timetable
Monday 17 November 2008

09.00 – 10.00 hrs

 

Registration, refreshments and exhibition viewing

10.00 – 11.30 hrs

Parallel

Pre-conference sessions
Delegates may choose to attend one of the following three sessions.

Session 1
The health of doctors – double jeopardy
Dr Brian Marien, Specialist in Psychological Medicine and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, West Sussex, UK and
Dr Julia Bland, South London and Maudsley Trust, London, UK

Session 2
Research Workshop 1:
Quantitative and Large-Scale Studies
Professor Erica Frank, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Preventive Medicine and Population Health, University of British Columbia, Canada

Session 3
Coping with colleagues: prevention, diagnosis and new ways of handling old problems
Dr Anita Houghton, Consultant and coach, The Working Lives Partnership,
UK

11.30 – 11.45 hrs

 

Refreshments and exhibition viewing

11.45 – 12.00 hrs

Plenary

Welcome and introduction
Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, President, British Medical Association, UK
Dr Nancy Nielsen, President-elect, American Medical Association, USA
Dr Robert Ouellet, President-Elect, Canadian Medical Association, Canada

12.00 - 13.00 hrs

Plenary

Doctors’ health: State of the art
A panel session reviewing the development and current status of doctors’ health programmes in the US, Canada, Europe and the UK: strengths, weaknesses and the challenges of change in the 21st century.

Chair: 
Dr Elizabeth Paice, Dean Director,
London Deanery, London, UK

Speakers:
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, Department o f Health, UK

Dr Michael H Gendel, Immediate Past President, Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP), Medical Director, Colorado Physician Health Program, USA

Dr Jaume Padrós, President, Galatea Foundation and General Secretary, Catalonian Medical Association Board, Spain

Dr W Todd Watkins, Director, Office of Professional Services, Canadian Medical Association, Canada

 

 

Lunch and exhibition viewing

14.00 – 16.00 hrs Parallel Research and workshop presentations
Delegates will be able to select which of a number of parallel streams of papers and workshops to attend.

Oral presentations 1
Doctors' own health behaviour

Oral presentations 2
Burnout

Oral presentations 3
Doctors taking sick leave
Job satisfaction
Oral presentations 4
Substance misuse
Boundary issues
Health behaviours and health status of Canadian Physicians: data from the Canadian Physician Health Study

Professor Erica Frank,
Dr Todd Watkins
Burnout syndrome of vocational trainees in General Practice

Dr Dragica Nikolic,
Dr Smiljka Radic,
Dr Dusanka Trnjak

Doctors taking sick leave – handling the
process

Dr Eliisa Mäenpää,
Professor Irma Virjo


Patterns of substance misuse among chemically dependent physicians seeking treatment in Brazil

Professor Hamer-Nastasy Palhares-Alves,
Luiz Antônio Nogueira-Martins PhD, Ronaldo Ramos Laranjeira PhD,
Denise Leite Vieria PhD
On being a good doctor: findings on health and wellbeing from a longitudinal study of UK doctors

Dr Robert Wrate,
Marian Gerry,
Dr Guro Huby


Work engagement vs burnout for physicians: the Distinct Roles of Demands and Values

Dr Michael Leiter,
Dr Timothy Matheson



Doctors at work – also when sick

Professor Irma Virjo,
Dr Eliisa Mäenpää




Addiction to opiates among impaired
physicians treated in a Spanish Physicians’ Program: a descriptive study

Dr Pilar Lusilla,
Dr Carlos Roncero,
Dr Francisco Collazos,
Dr Miquel Casas
Diet, physical activity, and weight control services by US Primary Care Physicians: influence on Physicians’ Health Behaviours and Health Status

Ashley Smith PhD,
Carrie Klabunde PhD,
Terry T-K Huang PhD,
Rachel Ballard-Barbash PhD

The predictive value of individual factors,
work-related factors and work-home
interaction on burnout in female and male
physicians. A longitudinal study

Professor Olaf Aasland,
Ellen Melbye
Langballe,
Siw Tone Innstrand
Sickness absence in doctors - a comparison of sickness absence with self-reported sickness absence in a UK NHS hospital

Dr Ian Murphy
Do general practitioners misuse alcohol?
A cross-sectional study of alcohol usage
amongst GPs in Kent, UK

Dr Jane Hitchins
The Quebec Physicians’ Health Program: How data research can help to understand the phenomenon of physician distress

Dr Serge Daneault, Dr Anne Magnan
Rates of medication errors among depressed
and burnt out residents: a prospective cohort
study

Dr Amy Fahrenkopf,
Theodore C Sectish,
Laura K Barger,
Paul J Sharek,
Daniel Lewin,
Vincent W Chiang,
Sarah Edwards,
Bernhard L Wiedermann,
Christopher P Landrigan
Job Satisfaction
Physicians’ job satisfaction and working
conditions in Japan

Dr Koji Wada, Mayuri Arimatsu,
Professor Toshiaki Higashi,
Professor Yoshiharu Aizawa
Alcohol and doctors: from Beauty to Beast

Dr Joy Albuquerque
The evaluation of group cognitive intervention
for consultant oncologists – a qualitative study

Dr Brian Marien
Reduction in burnout after a counselling
intervention for physicians – a one year followup
of the Villa Sana Program

Dr Karin Isaksson Ro,
Associate Professor Tore Gude,
Professor Reidar Tyssen, Professor Olaf Aasland
Increase in Norwegian doctors’ job satisfaction
and subjective well-being from 1994 to 2006. A longitudinal study

Professor Olaf Aasland
Tobacco use by physicians in a Physician
Health Program, implications for treatment
and monitoring

Dr Elizabeth Stuyt,
Dr Doris Gundersen,
Dr Jay Shore,
Elizabeth Brooks,
Dr Michael Gendel
Do doctors look after their health as well as their patients? Results from the quality indicators program in our district

Dr Yizchak Dresner,
Dr Shlomo Vinker
How doctors suffer

Dr Matthias von der Tann
Job satisfaction, work-related experience and behaviour and health resources of physicians in medical practice

Dr Edgar Voltmer,
David Schwappach PhD,
Professor Claudia Spahn
Physician boundary issues in a Physician
Program: a 19 year review

Dr Jay Shore,
Dr Doris Gundersen,
Elizabeth Brooks,
Dr Michael Gendel

Workshop 1
The aging physician workforce: multi-national approaches to the balance between work and self-care in older physicians

Betsy White Williams PhD,
Professor Carmelle
Peisah,
Michael Williams PhD

Workshop 2
Beyond the medical record – creative writing for doctors

Dr Hilton Koppe
Workshop 2
How to develop a wellness program in postgraduate medical education

Dr Susan Edwards
Workshop 4
Health problems in doctors who present with
performance concerns to the UK National
Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS)

Dr Rosemary Field,
Dr Neil Margerison

 Tuesday 18 November 2008

08.00 – 09.00 hrs

Optional

Mindfulness meditation
With James Reeves, Bliss Divine Yoga

Walk the Doc
A health paced walk around the local area

CBT workshop
Building on the themes from Monday's session with Dr Brian Marien

08.30 – 09.00 hrs

 

Registration and refreshments

09.00 – 10.30 hrs

Plenary

Losing control or grasping an opportunity?

Panel session
An international panel session discussing the challenges of working in a changing professional environment, including the effect of organisational change on doctors’ health and the difficulties of developing an effective support system in a shifting professional landscape.

Presentations from each panellist, followed by an open discussion:

Chair:    
Professor Andrew Cooper, Director of Research and Development, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Social Work, University of East London, UK

Panel to include:
Professor Olaf Aasland, Director, The Research Institute, Norwegian Medical Association , Norway  

Dr Antony Garelick, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy and Associate Dean for the Counselling of Doctors,  Tavistock Centre and MedNet, London, UK

Professor Janet Grant,  Director, Professor of Education in Medicine, Open University and Board Member, Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, UK

Dr Nancy Nielsen, President-elect, American Medical Association, USA

 

 

Refreshments and exhibition viewing

11.00 – 13.00 hrs

Parallel

Research and workshop presentations
Delegates will be able to select which of a number of parallel streams of papers and workshops to attend.

Oral presentations 1
Psychological distress/suicide
Oral presentations 2
Physician health programmes
Oral presentations 3
Physician health programmes
Regulatory bodies
Medical students
Oral presentations 4
Substance misuse
Oral presentations 5
Other presentations
Suicidal ideation among medical
students and associations with study conditions, mental distress and admission to medical school.
A longitudinal study
Dr Marie Dahlin, Bo Runeson



10 years of the PAIMM: an appraisal of some results
Dr Antoni Arteman, Josep Matalí, Sergei Valero, Dr Jaume Padrós
London Practitioner Health Programme
Speaker to be confirmed
Do we want better doctors or doctors who are better?
Dr Michael Wilks
What can we learn from Consultants around the time of a child’s death?
Dr Anna Baverstock, Dr Fiona Finlay
A distress index for medical students: development and findings from a content validation study
Dr Liselotte Dyrbye, Danny Szydlo, Professor Jeff A Sloan, Dr Tait D Shanafelt
Doctors Support Line: Lessons from an anonymous helpline
Dr Jane Stevens, Dr Chris Williams
Successful collaboration between a physician health program and a regulatory body – the Ontario experience
Dr Michael Kaufmann,
Dr Patrick McNamara
Treating the Addicted Physician – Twenty Years of Experience
Dr Harry Vedelago,
Dr Graeme M Cunningham
Back pain in Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists: an up to date review
Dr Costas Panayotidis

Depression, burnout and suicidal
ideation among Swedish and Italian physicians (the HOUPE study)
Dr Massimo Marini, D Minucci,
C Pavan, P Simonato, G Putoto,
K G Götestam, L Lövseth,
L S Jónsdóttir, T Einarsdóttir, A Fridner, K Schenck-Gustafsson, L Pavan

An occupational psychiatric and psychotherapy service for doctors: 5 years’ experience
Dr Ben Charnaud, Dr Anne Read, Dr Gerard Woodroof, Dr David Longdon, Dr Andrew Stewart
Is there a universal medical student population? A comparative study of
stress and mental health among
Argentinean and Swedish medical students
Dr Marie Dahlin, Anna-Maria Ursberg, Bo Runeson
A literature review of addiction in physicians
Dr Paul Earley
Eating disorders on the wards
Dr Anna Crane
Recognising a doctor in difficulty
Professor Elisabeth Paice,
Doctor Jenny Firth-Cozens
Medical Association services
supporting doctors’ wellbeing –
the Physician Health Program of the Ontario Medical Association
Dr Michael Kaufmann
Getting in early: results from an
Australasian survey on medical
student well-being
William Perry, James Hillis,
Emily Carroll, Belinda Hibble,
Marion Davis, Justin Yousef
Blueprint Project, Colorado Site: A study of physicians with substance use disorders followed by the Colorado
Physician Health Program
Dr Michael Gendel, Elizabeth Brooks, Dr Jay Shore
Diagnostic and social inequality
Dr Berit Bringedal, Ole Tunold
Empathy and doctor health: a study of the relationship between empathy, burnout and psychological distress in
doctors
Mr Edward Latif, Associate Professor Carmelle Peisah, Professor Kay Wilhelm
The role of Federation of State
Physician Health Programs (FSPHP) in promoting physician health and
wellness: A national multi-centre study
Dr Gregory Skipper,
Dr Luis Sanchez, Dr Michael Gendel, Dr Gary Carr,
A Thomas McLellan PhD,
Dr Robert L DuPont
U.S. medical students’ personal and clinical tobacco- and alcohol-related practices
Professor Erica Frank, Carolina Segura, Jennifer Carrera, Elsa Wright
Predicting outcomes of doctors in a substance dependence monitoring program with a view to tailoring monitoring protocols
Dr Joan Brewster,
Dr Michael Kaufmann,
Sarah Hutchison, Cynthia MacWilliam
Successful co-operation and
collaboration between doctors’
support organisations in the UK: a case study
Dr Julia Bland, Dr Michael Peters
Secrets to psychological success: why older doctors have lower psychological distress than younger doctors
Associate Professor Carmelle Peisah, Edward Latif, Professor Kay Wilhelm, Betsy Williams PhD

Values in healthcare – a spiritual
approach. A training pack designed to integrate doctors’ well being as part of a medical education
Dr Craig Brown

Gender difference and predictors of reactivation at a physician health program implications for outreach and
intervention
Dr Nahid Hotchkiss, Dr Sarah Early
Physician personality traits: sound familiar?
Dr Jean Wallace, Dr Jane Lemair

Workshop 1
Improving Clinician to Clinician Communication Skills
Dr Scott Abramson, Dr Alan Jung
Workshop 2
Managing doctors in difficulty: an interactive educational
programme for educational supervisors and lead clinicians
Dr Deborah Cohen, Dr Melody Rhydderch
Workshop 3
Research in Physicians’ Health II: Qualitative and Smaller Studies
Dr Charles Samenow, Dr A J Finlayson, Ron Neufeld,
William Swiggart, W Anderson Spickard, Betsy White Williams
Michael Williams PhD, Professor Olaf Aasland

13.00 – 14.00 hrs

 

Lunch and exhibition viewing

14.00 – 16.00 hrs

 

 

 

 

Plenary

Complaints and litigation, a positive way forward
Complaints and litigation processes can be extremely stressful experiences for all concerned. This session looks to understand the impact on individuals involved as well as finding was to help. The session will draw from experiences, as well as data collected in Canada, US, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.

Presentations from each panellist, followed by an open discussion
Chairs:
Dr Douglas Bell, Managing Director of Physician Services, Canadian Medical Protective Association, Canada
Dr Priya Singh, Medical Director, Medical Protection Society, UK

Panel to include:

Dr Paul Davis, General Practitioner, UK
Dr Tim Cookson, Medicolegal Consultant, MPS, New Zealand
Dr Ronald L Hofeldt, Psychiatrist, Oregon, USA

16.00 – 16.30 hrs

 

Refreshments and exhibition viewing

16.30 – 17.30 hrs

Parallel

Small group work
Second meeting of small groups

18.00 – 19.00 hrs

Optional parallels

Personal stories
An inspirational evening session sharing doctors’ personal health stories and learning how they have managed and overcome these problems.

International forum
An informal meeting aiming to develop an ongoing international networking forum

 Wednesday 19 November 2008

08.00 – 09.00 hrs

Optional

Mindfulness meditation
Walk the Doc

08.30 – 09.00 hrs

Registration and refreshments: Lutyens Suite

09.00 – 10.00 hrs

Plenary

Activity matters!
This session will address the importance of physical activity to doctors’ health.  Reviewing the health of doctors as a group and looking at some of the psychological and organisational ‘barriers’ to exercise, this session will also identify some practical steps for both individuals and organisations to take to encourage a healthier workforce.

Chair:
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, Honorary Professor of Public Health, King’s College London, UK

Panel to include:
Professor Mark Batt, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Fellow and Consultant for Sport and Exercise Medicine, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
Professor Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health and Pro Vice Chancellor for External Relations, Lancaster University, UK
Professor Erica Frank, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Preventive Medicine and Population Health, University of British Columbia, Canada

10.00 – 10.30 hrs

 

Refreshment and exhibition viewing

10.30 – 12.30 hrs

Parallel

Research and workshop presentations
Delegates will be able to select which of a number of parallel streams of papers and workshops to attend.

Oral presentations 1
Mental health problems
Oral presentations 2
Doctors as patients
Oral presentations 3
Work/life balance and satisfaction
Oral presentations 4
Life cycle
Mental health problems in need of treatment
among medical students: a longitudinal and
nationwide study
Mirim Midtgaard, Professor Øvind Ekeberg,
Professor Per Vaglum, Professor Reidar Tyssen
Physicians’ experiences as physician-patient’s
doctors
Dr Eliisa Mäenpää, Professor Irma Virjo
Parental bonding and its relation to severe
depressive symptoms among Norwegian
physicians: a 10 year longitudinal and
nationwide study
Mrs Kjersti Støen Grotmol, Professor Per Vaglum,
Professor Øvind Ekeberg, Arnstein Finset,
Professor Tore Gude, Torbjørn Moum,
Professor Reidar Tyssen
Ill health in foundation trainees
Dr Sarita Bhat, Dr R B Grue,
Professor Paul Baker
Relapse rates in physicians monitored for bipolar
disorder and recurrent unipolar depression
Dr Joy Albuquerque, Dr Dorian Deshauer,
Steve Doucette, Dean Fergusson PhD
The Elephant in Primary Care Consulting Rooms
Miss Ivy Nguyen, Dr Paula McDonald
Work week duration, work-family balance and
difficulties encountered by female physicians
and pharmacists: Results from the French
SESMAT study
Dr Isabelle Aune, Dr Madeleine Estryn-Behar,
Clementine Fry, Gérard Machet
Exhaustion in first year of working as a physician
– a Swedish study of the transition from medical
school
Dr Marie Dahlin, Jenny Fjell, Bo Runeson
Attitudes of doctors in the event of their
becoming mentally ill
Dr Tariq Mahmood Hassan,
Dr Syed Omair Ahmed, Dr Alfred White,
Dr Niall Galbraith
Increase in self-reported prevalence of chronic
conditions, but minor changes in seeking care for
the problems among Finnish doctors from 1997
to 2006
Dr Kimmo Räsänen, Marko Elovainio PhD,
Tarja Heponiemi PhD, Dr Santero Kujala
How do Finnish doctors see the work-family
balance?
Dr Santero Kujala, Jukka Vänskä,
Professor Irma Virjo, Professor Kari Mattila
Trainee doctors with disabilities
Professor Elisabeth Paice, Daniel Smith
Psychiatric Treatment for Doctors: a questionnaire
survey
Dr David Watt, Dr Linda Watt, Dr Tom Brown
Psychiatrists as inpatients: are they different
from the rest of physicians
Dr Antoni Gual, Dr Pilar Lusilla,
Dr Jose A Navarro, Dr Miquel Casas
A fatigue management health promotion
initiative. Do it for your patients. Do it for
yourself.
Dr Dianne Maier, Diane Bird, Dr Vincent Hanlon
Personal and professional development groups
for doctors in their first year: Foundation Year 1
Doctors (FY1) at Newham University Hospital
NHS Trust
Dr Peter Bruggen, Dr Paul Julian
Depression among doctors applying for the new
‘run through’ training posts of ‘Modernising
Medical Careers’
Mrs Scarlett McNally, Dr Poe Phyu,
Dr Colleen Wylie
‘A neutral attitude hardly exists: some ignore
you, some overcare’, physicians’ experiences as
patients
Professor Irma Virjo, Dr Eliisa Mäenpää
A comparison of well being for internal medicine
physicians across two different payment schemes
Dr Jane Lemaire
Using empathy safely: the evolution in the
use of empathy over a medical career
Mr Edward Latif, Associate Professor Carmelle
Peisah, Professor Kay Wilhelm
Burnout and mental health problems among
medical doctors – can counselling intervention
help doctors cope? A presentation of the Villa
Sana Program in Norway
Dr Karin Isaksson Ro, Dr Olav Lund,
Janette Kaggestad,
Associate Professor Tore Gude
Emergency physicians cumulate more stress
factors than other physicians – results from
French SESMAT study
Dr Madeleine Estryn-Behar, Dr Isabelle Aune,
Clementine Fry, Dr Max-André Doppia
Lower life satisfaction in physicians compared
with a general population sample: a 10 year
longitudinal, nationwide study of course and
predictors
Professor Reidar Tyssen, Professor Erlend Hem,
Professor Tore Gude, N T Grønvold,
Professor Øvind Ekeberg, Professor Per Vaglum
Retired physicians in Norway: a survey study
Dr Peter Psarologos, Dr Berit Bringedal
Workshop 1
Breaking the silence: a workshop on the
standards, ethics and importance of reporting
Ms Sarah Wakeman
Workshop 2
Discipline with dignity? Physicians and the
complaints process
Dr Dawn Ross, Dr Jacqueline Milliken
Workshop 3
TheWork Life Balance Continuum: a model
for understanding it and an exercise for
maintaining it
Dr Sonia Hutton-Taylor
Workshop 4
Concerned about a colleague?What do you say?
What do you do?
Dr Andrée Rochfort, Dr Ide Delargy

12.30 – 13.30 hrs

 

Lunch and exhibition viewing

13.30 – 14.30 hrs

 

Parallel

Small group work
Final meeting of small work groups

14.30 – 15.00 hrs

 

Refreshments and exhibition viewing

15.00 – 16.15 hrs

Plenary

Closing Keynote: A fine balance – achieving work-life harmony
Dr Mamta Gautam, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa
Stress in an inherent factor in a doctors’ life.  Using a biopsychosocial approach, Professor Gautam will outline the main causes of stress in medicine.  The number one cause of stress, and the number one solution to deal with it, will be revealed.  The very traits that enable doctors to excel also make us more susceptible to stress: an essential component of success is the skill to attain balance in our personal and professional lives.  Balancing our lives is all about setting priorities and making choices.  Using rich clinical vignettes, Professor Gautam will offer general approaches to achieving work-life harmony, as well as specific strategies to assist in achieving this balance.

16.15 – 16.30 hrs

Plenary

Closing remarks