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Wellbeing: Articles

This page contains information about accessing online journals and articles, as well as linked lists of articles and journal titles relevant to the welfare of doctors.

ANZCA Bulletin articles

Roberts L, Jenkins K. Peer support: practical approaches. ANZCA Bulletin; 2020; 29(3); 34-35.

Roberts L.Doctors' health and wellbeing and our trainees... where are we up to? ANZCA Bulletin; 2019; 28(4); 70.

Andrew A, Scott DA.Fatigue - a cultural and systemic issue. ANZCA Bulletin; 2018; 27(3); 41-44.

Harding K. Learning from Richard's death. ANZCA Bulletin; 2018; 27(2); 22-24.

Have your say...Doctors' health and wellbeing draft interim framework.ANZCA Bulletin; 2018; 27(2); 25.

Handley C.Doctors' health and wellbeing - new strategies. ANZCA Bulletin; 2018; 27(1); 12.

Scott DA.ANZCA accepts doctors' wellbeing challenge. ANZCA Bulletin; 2017; 26(3); 17.

Pham P. The search for a new horizon. ANZCA Bulletin; 2017; 26(3); 18-19.

Flynn J. Taking care: don't let mandatory reporting get in the way.ANZCA Bulletin; 2017; 26(3); 20.

Coates J. Mandatory reporting - the New Zealand position.ANZCA Bulletin; 2017; 26(3); 21.

Jones C. Welfare advocates critical to doctor wellbeing.ANZCA Bulletin; 2017; 26(3); 21-23.

Khursandi D, Andrew M. Caring for anaesthetists for more than 20 years.ANZCA Bulletin; 2015; 24(4); 38-39.

Hallett A. Welfare advocates - should every department have one? ANZCA Bulletin; 2015; 24(4); 40-41.

A compassionate festive season. ANZCA Bulletin; 2015; 24(4); 41.

Reilly J, Tay T, Armstrong-Brown A. Peer-review groups add value in the hunter.ANZCA Bulletin; 2015; 24(4); 42.

Tay T, McDonald J, Shrivastava P. Report triggers concern about doctors' mental health.ANZCA Bulletin; 2014; 23(1); 26-29.

Warhaft, Naham. The Victorian doctors' health program. ANZCA Bulletin; 2001; 10(4); 31.

Khursandi DCS. Welfare. ANZCA Bulletin; 1999; 8(4); 24-25.

Gibbs J, Khursandi DS. Anaesthetists' wellbeing and welfare. ANZCA Bulletin; 1996; 5(4); 4.

Recent articles of interest

Last updated: 19 September 2023

Rasmussen JM, Najarian MM, Ties JS, Borgert AJ, Kallies KJ, Jarman BT. Career satisfaction, gender bias, and work-life balance: a contemporary assessment of general surgeons. Journal of Surgical Education. 2021 Jan-Feb;78(1):119-125. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.06.012.

Kaur B. Burnout recognition and mitigation in the context of a global pandemic. Paediatric Anaesthesia. 2021 Jan;31(1):8-9. doi: 10.1111/pan.14065.

Petrini LA, Thottathil P, Shih G, Henderson A, Pasquariello C, Black SA. Ask the question, be the solution: fostering wellbeing through contextualized assessment and strategy development.Paediatric Anaesthesia. 2020 Nov 20. doi: 10.1111/pan.14087.

Rodrigues H, Cobucci R, Oliveira A, Cabral JV, Medeiros L, Gurgel K, Souza T, Gonçalves AK. Burnout syndrome among medical residents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2018 Nov 12;13(11):e0206840. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206840.

Wainwright E, Looseley A, Mouton R, et al. Stress, burnout, depression and work satisfaction among UK anaesthetic trainees: a qualitative analysis of in-depth participant interviews in the Satisfaction and Wellbeing in Anaesthetic Training study. Anaesthesia. 2019;74(10):1240-1251. doi:10.1111/anae.14694

Wilson G, Larkin V, Redfern N, Stewart J, Steven A. Exploring the relationship between mentoring and doctors' health and wellbeing: a narrative review.Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2017;110(5):188-197. doi:10.1177/0141076817700848

Unadkat S, Farquhar M. Doctors' wellbeing: self-care during the covid-19 pandemic. British Medical Journal. 2020;368:m1150. Published 2020 Mar 24. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1150

​Ahola K, Väänänen A, Koskinen A, Kouvonen A, Shirom A. Burnout as a predictor of all-cause mortality among industrial employees: a 10-year prospective register-linkage study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2010;69(1):51-57.

beyondblue. National mental health survey of doctors and medical students. October 2013.

Llewellyn, A.Asking difficult questions in supervision, think RUOK? On the wards; Feb 9, 2017.

Rimmer A. I've noticed a change in my colleague's behaviour. what should I do? BMJ(Online). 2019;365. Request from Library

Articles​Kim DD, Kimura A Jr, Pontes DKL, Oliveira MLS, Cumino DO. Evaluation of anesthesiologists' knowledge about occupational health: pilot study. BMC Anesthesiology. 2018;18(1):193-193.

WebsiteCanadian Anesthesiologists' Society. Healthy Anesthesiologist [Internet]. 2019. From: https://www.cas.ca/English/Healthy-Anesthesiologist. Accessed 6 March 2019.

ArticlesSchäfer SK, Lass-Hennemann J, Groesdonk H, Volk T, Bomberg H, Staginnus M, et al. Mental health in anesthesiology and ICU staff: sense of coherence matters. Front. Psychiatry, 19 September 2018.

ArticlesPatel RS, Bachu R, Adikey A, Malik M, Shah M. Factors related to physician burnout and its consequences: a review. Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland). 2018;8(11).
ArticlesDhand, S.Why doctors are unhappy in their jobs - and what to do about it. Medical Observer, Opinion, 12 June 2019. [Free registration required to access]

​Prins DJ, van Vendeloo SN, Brand PLP, Van der Velpen I, de Jong K, van den Heijkant F, et al.The relationship between burnout, personality traits, and medical specialty. A national study among Dutch residents.Med Teach. 2018 Nov 3:1-7.

Dyrbye L, Shanafelt T.A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents.Med Educ. 2016;50(1):132-49.

Westbrook, J., Sunderland, N. Bullying and harassment of health workers endangers patient safety. The Conversation,Medical Observer, 5 November 2018, .

Robson, S.I was a young doctor, about to kill myself, when I heard a knock at my door.Sydney Morning Herald; 2 November 2018.

Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.Clinical Communique. 2018;5(3):10.

Special issue on clinician suicides.

Marr, J.#39;I needed it to look like an accident. A tired doctor falls asleep at the wheel and hits a tree' [article post]. Medical observer. Posted 24 August, 2017.

In this article GP Dr Jane Marr tells how one night, during a shift on a labour ward, she came close to suicide.

Murray R, Crotty B.What needs to happen to build resilience and improve mental health among junior doctors [article post]. The Conversation. Posted May 25, 2017.

Doctors experience higher levels of suicide and mental distress than their non-medical peers. A review of studies in the area found male doctors had a 26% higher risk of suicide, while female doctors had a 146% higher risk (more than double) than the general population...

Wiedersehn, Sarah.Anaesthetists conference: Medical professionals encouraged to speak up on mental health [article post]. Brisbane Times. Posted May 14, 2017.

A healthy anaesthetist means a healthier patient, which is why the topic of mental health among this "high-risk" group of doctors is being brought out in the open.​..

Special issues

Spotlight on: Substance abuse

The topic of substance abuse among our colleagues has frequently been discussed by the Wellbeing SIG.

The below articles discuss the issue from an Australian and New Zealand perspective.


Recognising Warning Signs

  • Are you enthusiastic for long, difficult or complicated cases?
  • Do you volunteer to work extra shifts or to do extra or late cases on a list?
  • Are you over-anxious to give breaks to your colleagues?

Did you know that these are some of the warning signs of drug abuse, according to the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI)?

These attributes are also those which are generally valued by anaesthetists, which highlights how difficult it can be to recognise substance misuse among our colleagues.

Recommendations for future articles of the month are welcome. Please contactEventsor Dr Suzi Nou (Suzi.Nou@nh.org.au).

For more warning signs and for strategies on what to do when you suspect someone may have a substance abuse problem, I encourage you to read the Welfare of Anaesthetists Special Interest Group resource document "RD 20 Substance Abuse 2013".

More articles of interest

Marr, J.#39;I needed it to look like an accident. A tired doctor falls asleep at the wheel and hits a tree' [article post]. Medical observer. Posted 24 August, 2017.

In this article GP Dr Jane Marr tells how one night, during a shift on a labour ward, she came close to suicide.

Murray R, Crotty B.What needs to happen to build resilience and improve mental health among junior doctors [article post]. The Conversation. Posted May 25, 2017.

Abstract: Doctors experience higher levels of suicide and mental distress than their non-medical peers. A review of studies in the area found male doctors had a 26% higher risk of suicide, while female doctors had a 146% higher risk (more than double) than the general population...

Wiedersehn, Sarah.Anaesthetists conference: Medical professionals encouraged to speak up on mental health [article post]. Brisbane Times. Posted May 14, 2017.

Introduction: A healthy anaesthetist means a healthier patient, which is why the topic of mental health among this "high-risk" group of doctors is being brought out in the open.​..

Davies Scimeca, P. Out from under a bus. CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog. Posted on February 2, 2017.

Abstract: Many health professionals believe that reporting a colleague’s alcohol or other drug problem is “throwing them under the bus.” However, most professionals in recovery from a substance use disorder agree that they were already under the bus that was going to run over and kill them. Most experts in peer assistance, including myself, concur that without responsible reporting, the professional may not only die, but harm patients. Yet there is another gallery of voices that must be heard to truly see the impact of this dilemma.

Goldney RD. Suicide by health care professionals. Med J Aust. 2016;205(6):257-8.

Milner AJ, Maheen H, Bismark MM, Spittal MJ. Suicide by health professionals: a retrospective mortality study in Australia, 2001-2012. Med J Aust. 2016;205(6):260-5.

Tartas M, Walkiewicz M, Budzinski W, Majkowicz M, Wojcikiewicz K, Zdun-Ryzewska A. The coping strategies during medical education predict style of success in medical career: A 10-year longitudinal study. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16(1):186.

Soares DS, Chan L. Stress and wellbeing of junior doctors in Australia: A comparison with American doctors and population norms. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16(1):183.

Mata DA, Ramos MA, Bansal N, Khan R, Guille C, Di Angelantonio E, et al. Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among resident physicians: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2015;314(22):2373-2383.

Matejic B, Milenovic M, Kisic Tepavcevic D, Simic D, Pekmezovic T, Worley JA. Psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-human services survey: A validation study among anesthesiologists from Belgrade teaching hospitals. ScientificWorldJournal. 2015;2015:903597.

Craig D. Substance use disorder in Canadian university departments of anesthesia. Can J Anaesth. 2016;63(3):365-366.

Fiedorowicz JG, Ellingrod VL, Kaplan MJ, Sen S. The development of depressive symptoms during medical internship stress predicts worsening vascular function. J Psychosom Res. 2015;79(3):243-245.

MayallRM.Substance abuse in anaesthetists.BJA Educ. 2015, 1-6.

Lee YY, Medford AR, Halim AS. Burnout in physicians. J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2015;45(2):104-107.

ANZCA acknowledges the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present, and emerging.

ANZCA acknowledges and respects Māori as the Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and is committed to upholding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, fostering the college’s relationship with Māori, supporting Māori fellows and trainees, and striving to improve the health of Māori.