First Do No Harm: Being a Resilient Doctor in the 21st Century

First Do No Harm provides medical practitioners with information and resources on strategies for self care as an essential element of their professional life. It aims to encourage medical practitioners to recognize and discuss the challenges facing them, promote self care as an integral and accepted part of the professional life of medical practitioners, and assists medical practitioners to develop useful strategies for self care. Rowe and Kidd explore the too often ignored issue of physician self-care and highlight the dangers of ignoring this problem. It is a timely examination of the troubles doctors the world over face regarding their work-life balance and receiving mental health care. With their extensive medical and professional experience, the authors have created a legacy to be shared with doctors worldwide, at all stages of their careers. In responding to the new challenges of 21st-century medicine and the medical workforce shortage, they advocate for a new meaning of the doctors' ancient creed.
They propose eight essential principles towards being a resilient doctor: make home a sanctuary; value strong relationships; have an annual preventive health assessment; control stress, not people; recognize conflict as a opportunity; manage bullying and violence assertively; make our medical organizations work for us; and create a legacy.