PHYSICIAN HEALTH AND WELLNESS

 In December 2003 at the Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates the Association adopted as official policy the recommendations of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) report on Physicians Health and Wellness.

 The recommendations of the report can be located on the AMA web site AMA. 
Information regarding how to obtain a copy of the full report may also be found there.

 The recommendations are:

• Promoting health and wellness among physicians

• Supporting peers in identifying physicians in need of help

• Intervening promptly when the health or wellness of a colleague appears to have become compromised, including the offer of encouragement, coverage or referral to a physicians health program

• Establishing physician health programs that provide a supportive environment to maintain and restore health and wellness

• Assisting recovered colleagues when they resume patient care

• Reporting impaired physicians who continue to practice, despite reasonable offers of assistance, to appropriate bodies as required by law and/or ethical obligations.  This may entail reporting to the licensing authority.

These recommendations are reflected in Ohio Physicians Health Program's mission, values, purpose and the everyday services it provides.  The recommendations also reflect the ever increasing importance of Ohio Physicians Health Program and the services it provides to health care professionals throughout Ohio including education, intervention, establishing and supporting medical staff physician health programs/committees, reentry into practice support, etc.  These are all listed as ethical obligations of the medical profession.