Protective Equipment for Physicians' Mental Health
By Mollie Frost
ACP Internist
[According to Dr. Barrett] “I hope that everybody who reads this article, that the first thing that they do is work to change their credentialing applications to not ask about mental health. That could be as easy as an e-mail to your medical staff office or to human resources asking them to remove questions that stigmatize mental health care. The second step is to be proactive about sharing mental health resources, such as Emotional PPE, also the Physician Support Line, any state-based resources, and also any employee-assistance programs. Third, add those mental health resources as contacts to your phone so that then you can share them with others. And, last, host a grand rounds on this topic because that's how we start to change the culture.”
Discuss this topic with other ACP members in ACP's Physician Well-being and Professional Fulfillment Forum.