Developing a Doctors’ Mental Health Internet Web Site Resource
The NSW Doctors' Mental Health
Implementation Committee was established in November 1997 at the request of
the NSW Minister for Health. It comprises over 30 members representing key
medical organisations and sectors of the medical profession. The formation of
the Implementation Committee was a recommendation of the NSW
Doctors’ Mental Health Working Group, established in 1996 as a joint
initiative of the NSW Health Department
and the Australian Medical Association (NSW
Branch). This Group was established in response to growing concerns about
the levels of unrecognised and untreated stress and mental health problems in
doctors.
The Implementation Committee’s goal is
the promotion of doctors’ and medical students’ mental health and well being
through prevention, early detection and management of mental health problems
arising. It determined that the best way to achieve its objectives was to
develop an overarching Doctors' Mental Health Policy, and then to develop
individual Strategies targeting Area Health Services, Colleges and Medical
Schools. This was to be followed by the development of programs by the key
medical groups. Subsequently, strategies have also been commissioned by a rural
doctors’ group.
The plan is dependent on the groups and
subgroups of doctors obtaining liberal access to the evolving information base
of progressively more refined data. Ongoing dissemination of information on
physician health is essential. There is a dearth of publications aimed at the
individual doctor, their families and medical groups or associations. It is
hoped that the medical community would benefit from the widespread dissemination
of the prevention and intervention strategies developed by the Implementation
Committee through its publications and this Web site. Providing access to
educational, research and organisational information, including treatment
referral sources, on this Web site resource, is hoped to further contribute to
these aims.
The Medical
Benevolent Association of NSW (MBA) is a registered charitable company,
based in Sydney Australia, assisting medical practitioners and their families
suffering financial, social and health problems. The organisation offers
financial assistance and the services of an experienced social worker to doctors
and their families. The MBA's lengthy experience in the area of doctors' health
and financial problems and its independent status were factors taken into
consideration by the Implementation Committee in accepting its generous offer to
sponsor and maintain the Web site.
Copyright
© 1998-2004.
Medical Benevolent Association of New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Citation suggestion:
Medical Benevolent Association of NSW, History of NSW Doctors Mental Health
Implementation Committee & Website Resource (http://www.dmh.org.au/dmh/history.html)
[date accessed]
Last revised: 20 April 2004 16:06
