How Do We Physicians and Surgeons Deal With our Own Disease?

Abstract

It is a "known secret" that physicians and surgeons do not make good patients and neglect their own health by ignoring early warning signs of physical and psychological problems. Moreover, often, they seek help late. What are the reasons for this self-neglect? Is it because we think we are "super humans," or we think that we will not get sick, cannot get sick, should not get sick, have no "right" to get sick, as we must care for others? Do we ignore ourselves because we must go to one more meeting, do one more thing, write or present one more paper, give one more lecture, or take the call even with a fever, cough, and chills? Why can't we call in sick? Is this the "macho" effect? Is this culture of denial pervasive everywhere, even though we should know better? Yes, it is! Don't we need to remember the advice given by airlines to put on an oxygen mask on yourself first before helping others? Unfortunately, many of us do not do it. In this article, we will present a personal reflection as an example and review how we physicians and surgeons neglect our own health, ignoring the early warning signs of physical and psychological problems, and how we often seek help late. We also discuss potential reasons for this becoming a "norm" for many of us. Lastly, we review measures taken by some healthcare systems to remedy this situation.