31.01.12
Save yourselves
Burnout in GPs poses a serious problem, both to the GPs and their patients. Protecting care-givers’ health is essential to ensure they can provide the best care and treatment for others.
This is the same principle behind securing your own oxygen mask on a plane before you attend to others, even if they are your relatives. The only way you can help these people is to make sure you are going to be able to stay healthy enough to do so.
While GPs have primary responsibility for their own health, with growing demand from patients and shrinking budgets to manage, this pressure may mean they need support from their colleagues and the greater NHS.
If studies can show us which factors make burnout most likely to occur, these groups of people can be offered extra support to alleviate their emotional exhaustion.
The health of NHS staff should have the highest priority, as this secures the wellbeing of countless dependent patients.
Image c. ell brown
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