Access to health care is as important for doctors as it is for the rest of the community, but the special professional circumstances of doctors can make it difficult to call on help when it is most needed. Some doctors in rural towns or small communities find it particularly hard to access timely advice and assistance. Even in urban and suburban settings, it can be hard to know whom to trust, and it is tempting to feel that one “knows better” than one’s colleagues. In addition, doctors’ time is often limited.
We have developed a ‘one stop’ website resource, a neutral, reliable source of advice to promote doctors’ health. The new national website provides direct access to state- based doctors’ health services, other support services for medical practitioners and to health assessment tools to assist time-poor, anxious and unwell doctors to identify a way forward toward wellbeing and treatment.
Funding and input from an advisory board set up by beyondblue has enabled the DHAS in NSW to “go national” with the support of the Australian Doctors’ Health Network. Taking the NSW website as a starting point we have expanded the content to include information and resources of relevance to every state and territory. The website not only offers sources of support and advice, but will also offer access to a self-assessment tool, to further reading and case studies, and specific advice for specialist practitioners.