Resources for staying well during COVID-19

Canadian physicians are serving patients in unprecedented times of uncertainty, resource limitations and personal risk. We know that you are staying informed, while doing your best to care for patients and communities, and supporting your colleagues. We also encourage you to take care of yourselves.

Below is a list of health resources for front-line workers that you may wish to consider. Please also consider connecting with your provincial physician health programs for your own mental health when needed.

You are valued and you are not alone.

Alberta Medical Association

• Physician wellness during COVID-19 [PDF]

American Psychiatric Association

• Coronavirus and mental health: Taking care of ourselves during infectious disease outbreaks

Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec

• Conseils pour garder la santé mentale pendant la quarantaine [PDF] (available in French only)

Canadian Medical Association

• Physician Health and Wellness
• How to reach out to your provincial physician health program
• Evidence-based tips for managing stress [VIDEO]
• Maintaining wellness during a pandemic
• Threats and harassment | CMA Browse CMA resources, tools, and services which support physicians and medical learners experiencing online threats and harassment.

Canadian Society of Physician Leaders

• Ensuring our own wellbeing as we care for others during the COVID-19 crisis [PDF]

EMOttawa

• Managing stress and anxiety related to COVID-19

Mental Health Commission of Canada

• Best practices for supporting the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19

National Centre for PTSD

• Managing healthcare workers’ stress associated with the COVID-19 virus outbreak [PDF]

Ontario Medical Association

• Keeping yourself healthy: resilience and stress inoculation during COVID-19 [PDF]
• Pacing ourselves in a pandemic: slowing down when I should [PDF]

Quebec Physicians' Health Program

• Mettre sur pied ou rejoindre un groupe de soutien entre pairs [PDF] (available in French—English translation in progress)

Resident Doctors of Canada

• RDoC’s Resiliency Curriculum

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

• Wellness resources for health professionals

World Health Organization

• Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
• Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak [PDF]

Additional resources

• The Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Psychiatric Association, and their provincial and territorial counterparts are also good sources of information.
• Internationally, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical Association, National Academy of Medicine, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have information for managing the stress of front-line care.