ASA has a long history of concern for the health of its members, hence the mission of the Committee on Occupational Health. Recently, the focus has changed from O.R. hazards to the well-being of physician anesthesiologists. In this issue of the NEWSLETTER, there are three excellent articles addressing important issues of physician health and well-being.
In 2006, future ASA President Roger Moore, M.D. and others called for a “Wellness Initiative.” Robert Holzman, M.D. laid the ground work for and then chaired the newly created Wellness Task Force (now named Advisory Group on Physician Health and Well Being). In his comprehensive white paper, Dr. Holzman defined the wide scope of issues the task force would address, including burnout, depression, suicide, substance abuse, aging, work-life balance, coping with adverse events and stresses inherent to certain work situations. Dr. Moore recently wrote an excellent chapter in “Occupational Well-Being in Anesthesiologists,” a publication...
