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Equality and self-care in healthcare

4. Working with other healthcare professionals

4.2 Respect for colleagues and other health professionals

Good relationships with colleagues, nurses and other health professionals strengthen the practitioner-patient relationship and enhances patient care. Good medical and dental practice involves:

  • Clear, effective, respectful and prompt communication with others
  • Acknowledging and respecting the contribution of others
  • Behaving professionally and courteously to colleagues including when using social media

4.4 Teamwork

Good medical and dental practice involves:

  • Mutual respect and clear communication
  • understanding any constraints
  • clearly delineating roles and informing patients
  • understanding the nature and consequences of bullying and harassment and seeking to eliminate such behaviour in the workplace.

9. Ensuring practitioner health

As a practitioner, it is important for you to maintain your own health and wellbeing. This includes seeking an appropriate work life balance.

9.2 Your health

Good medical and dental practice involves:

  1. Having a GP
  2. Seeking independent medical care - do not self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
  3. Making sure that you are immunised against relevant communicable diseases.
  4. Conforming to the legislation in your state or territory in relation to self-prescribing.
  5. Recognising fatigue impacts your health and your ability to care for patients
  6. Being aware of the doctors’ health program in your state or territory if you need advice
  7. If you know or suspect that you have a health condition or impairment that could adversely affect your judgement, performance or your patient’s health, act on it

9.3 Other practitioner’s health

Practitioners have a responsibility to assist colleagues to maintain good health. All health professionals have responsibilities in certain circumstances for mandatory notification under the National Law. See 9.3.1 to 9.3.4

Beware of these warning signs…

  • Self prescribing and inappropriate use of medications
  • Practitioners with established mental health conditions
  • Poor performance or assessment
  • Being bullied or harassed
  • Regular disputes with your colleagues
  • Being isolated, prejudiced or experiencing cultural and communication issues

Key messages

  • Many practitioners don’t look after themselves – 40% do not have a GP, 50% write their own prescriptions and 30% have not seen a doctor for years
  • AHPRA has several reporting requirements surrounding impairment. These include self-reporting and mandatory reporting. The implications can be serious. Self-reporting impairment may minimise the consequences

Strategies

  • Never prescribe S8 drugs for yourself or family, see your GP
  • Develop a healthy work life balance – do not overdo either
  • Contact your MIPS early with any issues – note MIPS clinico-legal advisers are exempt from mandatory reporting to AHPRA
  • Show insight – reach out and seek out help, support and assistance.
  • Supervision & dealing with bullying are to be taught and learnt

When in doubt

MIPS is available 24/7 for Clinico-Legal Support on 1800 061 113