Getting assistance

Physicians inevitably face stressful situations during the course of their careers. They are subjected to the demands of medical practice while navigating an increasingly complex medico-legal environment. Legal actions and hospital or College complaints may be emotionally taxing to physicians. Privacy or human rights complaints, physician-rating websites, and subpoenas to court can contribute to physician stress. If you are a CMPA member, our medical officers are available to discuss your medico-legal difficulties and the impact they have on you. We understand the psychological toll that such difficulties may have on you. 

When seeking assistance from the CMPA, please tell us if you feel the stress of the matter is affecting you unduly.  If you are receiving assistance from CMPA legal counsel, feel free to communicate your feelings to your lawyer at any time. 

The CMPA is committed to learning more about physician stress arising from adverse events and medico-legal issues and in developing ways to help our members deal with stress.  The “Sharing experiences” section of this web page will allow physicians to benefit from the insights and coping strategies of their colleagues, and to realize that they are not unique or alone when confronted with such problems.   

We hope the information and resources on this page will provide some comfort and assistance to physicians experiencing difficult times in their career. 

Sharing experiences

We asked members to write to us and share their experiences. The letters illustrate some of the real-life situations in which physicians can sometimes find themselves. By publishing selected letters, we are hopeful that some of the sense of isolation that often occurs during difficult moments may be reduced.

Letters:

• A seasoned anesthesiologist is challenged by the role medical trainees play in patient care.
• A psychiatrist says even senior and “sensible” physicians are sued and reported to their College and wants to reassure colleagues.
• An emergency physician learns to take the legal process in stride.
• A physician’s finances, and emotional well-being, take a hit following a billing audit.
• A physician reflects on a colleague’s suicide.

Articles written by CMPA

• Medico-legal stress:  Sharing our experiences
• Dealing with stress during medico-legal difficulties
• Gaining perspective: a physician's legal saga (formerly: “The stress of medico-legal difficulties”)
• Coping with an adverse event, complaint or litigation (originally published in the CanMEDS Physician Health Guide, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 2009)

Other resources

• 2012 AMA-CMA-BMA International Conference on Physician Health
  October 25-27, 2012
  Montréal, Québec
  Call for proposals deadline is May 7th
• Canadian Physician Health Network (CPHN): The CPHN website provides links to all provincial and territorial physician health programs.
• ePhysicianHealth.com: An online resource to help physicians and physicians in training be resilient in their professional and personal lives.
• Physician Litigation Stress Resource Center: A U.S. site which provides resources for physicians and other health care professionals who are interested in the stress associated with medical malpractice litigation.