This year marked my first opportunity to attend the ICPH as BMA president. The conference brings together members of the British Medical Association, American Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association, alongside colleagues from around the world, to share ideas about how we can build healthier, more sustainable careers for doctors.
This is also the first time we have gathered in person in London since 2014. I think we can all agree that our health systems and the global landscape have changed in the intervening years.
The theme this year, ‘From insight to impact: sustainable strategies for a healthy and fulfilling medical career’, could not be timelier. Across the world, doctors continue to face significant pressures, and the challenge is no longer simply to understand the causes of poor wellbeing but to turn that insight into meaningful action to improve working lives.
The programme reflects that ambition, with plenary sessions, panel discussions, parallel oral sessions and practical workshops. We began the morning with a fascinating keynote lecture on empathic healthcare by Professor Howick, and over the coming days the conference will feature sessions themed around ‘leadership and culture’, ‘practising with purpose’ and ‘breaking silos, building bridges’.
We will explore how healthcare organisations can tackle burnout and drive system-level change, how empathy can improve both patient care and clinician wellbeing, and how inclusion and belonging can help create healthier workplace cultures. Other discussions will examine the experiences of doctors living with illness or disability, global approaches to physician health, and the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies.
As someone who has spent my whole career in medicine, I know how easily our own health and wellbeing can be overlooked in a profession that is dedicated to caring for others. Yet we cannot separate the wellbeing of doctors from the quality of healthcare delivered. When doctors are supported to thrive, patients and society benefit too.
This conference gives us a unique opportunity to meet and hear from like-minded colleagues from across the globe, across institutions and across disciplines, and learn from them.
Our shared aim is to build a culture where doctors are supported to enjoy long, fulfilling careers that are not curtailed by preventable ill health. Physician health is fundamental to the future of our profession, and I feel privileged to be part of a community that recognises the importance of this vital work.
Professor Farah Bhatti is president of the BMA