New research published in the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP) has revealed the toll Australia's demanding healthcare system takes on GPs – and the urgent need to strengthen support for their wellbeing.
The November edition of Australia's leading general practice medical journal features an editorial on prioritising doctors' wellbeing as well as articles on self-care for GPs, the impact of medical culture, and risk factors for burnout among GP registrars.
Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) President Dr Michael Wright said the findings confirm what many GPs experience every day.
"GPs are patients too – we must look after ourselves," he said.
"This month's AJGP shows how easily self-care can fall down the priority list, and how cultural attitudes within medicine still discourage doctors from seeking support. That has to change. I encourage all GPs to take full advantage of the RACGP's resources on self-care and mental health."
Aside from changing the culture around self-care, Dr Wright also said reforms are needed to reduce the barriers GPs can face when seeking the healthcare they need.
"Although every GP is ultimately responsible for our own self-care and wellbeing, the systems around us must actively support our efforts," he said.
"That is why we've repeatedly called on state and territory governments to follow Western Australia's lead and scrap mandatory notification laws, which require doctors to report a fellow GP if they have a 'reasonable belief' that they are practising with an impairment and placing the public at substantial risk of harm.
"The thresholds for mandatory reporting are high; however, these laws can deter GPs from reaching out for the help they need, including for mental health concerns. A Senate committee report has already recommended that the Ministerial Council agree to remove these requirements and align the approach with the Western Australian model.
"The RACGP is committed to delivering education to our members around mandatory notification laws and what exactly they need to report, but we also need governments to address negative perceptions of these laws and help reassure GPs."
Dr Wright also said regulatory and compliance investigations should be carefully managed due to the serious impact these processes can have on practitioners.
"We're engaging in talks with Ahpra [the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency] and making inroads in achieving a different approach," he said.
"The regulatory body has committed to strengthening its procedures for identifying vexatious complaints to protect GPs from groundless notifications that take up time and energy and impact mental health.
"It's also encouraging that the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, responsible for investigating Medicare billing compliance, has heeded our calls and recently issued an 'early intervention letter' to GPs who may have charged a co-payment for a bulk-billed service.
"We welcome this more collaborative and education-based approach from the Department, rather than enforcement-type activity. Medicare compliance can be such a complex process for GPs and practice teams to navigate."
As of November, AJGP is launching a new digital format and application to complement its existing print and online versions. The new digital journal works on any device – mobile, tablet or desktop – and features text-to-speech so that busy GPs can listen on the go.
