Preventing physician suicide
By Admin | January 29, 2018
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 300 to 400 physicians commit suicide every year. During the physician training period, around 28 percent experience a major depressive episode compared to seven percent in the general U.S. population.
Janae Sharp, who lost her husband to suicide two years ago, wants to obliterate the stigma surrounding physician suicide.
She says most industries and businesses have steps in place if someone commits suicide, but that is oddly absent in the medical industry, which is strange considering the high rates of burnout and suicide.
Health systems need behavioral support for their providers, she shares in her presentation titled “Physician Suicide and Clinical Engagement Tools.” In her talk, she shares her story, personalizing suicide and hopefully removing the stigma, as well as explaining how hospitals can help their physicians cope with a heavy workload.
“There are insurance repercussions and less people help you because they don’t know how to approach it because of the stigma,” Sharp said. “That stigma also has direct financial implications on survivors.”
To find out where Sharp will be speaking and to learn more, read “EHRs, analytics can help track doctor burnout and potential suicide risk” by Healthcare IT News.
