European Association (EAPH)

European E-Forum for Doctors Health

Website: www.eaph.eu

About the Association

The European Association for Physician Health (EAPH) has developed over a number of years from doctors meeting each other at conferences and sharing information on the topic of doctors health and also from meetings held in Barcelona in 2001 (see the Barcelona Manifesto below) and in Oslo in February 2008.

Doctors from a number of European countries met when they presented papers at the American Medical Association - Canadian Medical Association joint International Conference on Physician Health which is held every two years in North America. Dr Andrée Rochfort of the ICGP joined these meetings when she presented at the AMA-CMA conference in Ottawa, Canada in December 2006 and the AMA-CMA-BMA conference in London Dec 2008. While in Canada, these European doctors agreed to link closer together in a European network to share information on research activities on the topic of doctors' health and on the provision of healthcare services for doctors in European countries by professional organisations and institutions. At the conference in London there was great enthusiasm to develop this idea further as a formal group to share information on activities and research and the group took on the name of EAPH.

Contributing knowledge on work done on this area should improve European collaboration and provide a forum for improving knowledge of good practice. "The conferences I presented at in Ottawa and in London have highlighted the many aspects of doctors' health research ranging from medical student health, health of older doctors, healthy workplaces, doctors as patients, physical health, mental health and health promotion. Delegates at theses conferences came from as far a field as Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Germany, UK and Ireland. This is an acknowledgement that doctors' health issues have a global dimension. Now we have an exciting opportunity to share information on European activities in doctors' health" said Dr Andree Rochfort who participates in this group. The EAPH will shortly launch a website with information on Doctors Supports and Services and links to articles and research reports on the topic of doctors' health across Europe. Details will be posted here when available.

For further information contact Dr Andrée Rochfort, Director ICGP Health in Practice Programme andree.rochfort@icgp.ie.

Documents

 The Health in Practice Programme: A system of healthcare and health information for GPs and their families in Ireland (AMA_CMA_Conference_-_ICGP_Health_in_Practice_protected.pdf | 215 KB)

Presentation given by Dr Andrée Rochfort, ICGP, at the AMA/CMA, Ottawa, Canada, November 2006.

 

 Manifesto of Barcelona (English_Manifesto_1st_EUROPEAN_MEETING_PAIMM_2001.doc | 219 KB)

Produced by consensus in the 1st European Meeting PAIMM 2001 by expert participants about Care Programmes in Europe for Health Professionals with Mental Health Disorders and Addictive Behaviours. Held in Barcelona. November, the 8th 2001. Organised by PAIMM (Integral Care Programme for Sick Physicians).

 

 Communication, stress and distress: evolution of an individual support programme for medical students and doctors (med_education_paper.pdf | 84 KB)

Authors: Debbie Cohen, Stephen Rollnick, Simon Smail, Paul Kinnersley, Helen Houston & Karen Edwards. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2005; 39: 476-481.