Count backwards from 10…
BC residents narrowly escaped a collective medical emergency last weekend when the BC Supreme Court ruled that anesthesiologists must continue to provide full hospital services – at least until after a subsequent ruling on April 20.
Contrary to much of the coverage, the physicians are not just concerned about compensation.
“The issue here is we need a process to deal with the problems that we have with the recruitment and retention of anesthesiologists in this province,” said Dr. Jeff Rains, president of the B.C. Anesthesiologists Society.
And sure, compensation is part of that discussion. But so is lifestyle. Note that Dr Rains talks about recruitment and retention. How do we get doctors to come to BC – and keep them working here? Keep them working at all?
The anaesthesiologist dispute in BC falls on a backdrop of the 2012 Federal budget announcement where it seems that those of us lucky enough to still be at the peak of our careers, now have a chance to work even longer. For those of us who love our jobs, this doesn’t seem so bad today. But how will it feel when we are close to retirement?
Most of us will need to ease out slowly. We will want to nurture colleagues still building their careers – and make sure the intuition and expertise we have developed over our working lives is not lost. We will need a legacy. Our employers will need it too.
Why would a doctor want anything different? Most physicians spend their careers managing overwhelming workloads at the expense of their own families and lifestyle. I am sure retirement is a big draw for many. And many doctors are close to retiring. Canadian Medical Association research shows that 44% of BC physicians are over age 55. Replacing those doctors in this highly competitive recruitment market will be next to impossible.
Perhaps what we need to do is focus less on recruitment and more on retention – that and a gradual easing of workload as physicians age. Rather than putting more money and effort into recruiting a physician workforce that is in desperate supply internationally, perhaps we should consider innovative ideas to help older BC doctors keep working in ways that continue to reward them, and the communities they serve.
Maybe an attractive retirement program would even attract physicians to move to BC? Maybe a different way of doing things would bring anaesthesiologists, too.
The anaesthesiologist dispute is likely to be followed by many other physician shortages as more BC doctors retire. The countdown has started and with some creative foresight we can choose not to be put under.
What motivates you to help the air?
When you think about air pollution, what gets your attention most? Is it the effects on your own health, the impact on the environment or what air pollution, and how you might be contributing to it, are costing you in dollars and cents?
Yup – air pollution is proving to be costly to our environment, our health and our pocketbooks.
Check out this air pollution website created by The School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong. This innovative calculator shows the various ‘costs’ air pollution has on individuals in that country and the cost of collective health.
But air pollution is a problem that impacts us all – 100 per cent of the time – no matter where we live or the state of our health. And in order to improve anything, we have to be willing to change. Starting with our own behaviour.
So we want to know – what makes you care most about the quality of the air we share? Is it a healthier body, bank account or community?
The question of personal motivators is one we think about a lot when we’re developing social marketing campaigns about the outdoor environment and its effects on health. Our goal of making people more aware of an issue, helping them understand it and see how it is relevant to them personally, is the precursor to motivating people to take action – to change their own behaviour.
Not unlike other social topics, people feel connected to issues in different ways – and these connections are what motivate them to do something.
When it comes to air quality, parents who have kids suffering from asthma are more likely to be motivated by health concerns. Others may be motivated by their passion for the earth and all its species. What about you? Maybe it’s only relevant when the day comes that you are asked not to drive to work because of high health risk from particulate matter in the air. Or the cost of gas is so high you realize it’s not worth it to idle your car unnecessarily. Will it be the financial considerations that are the kicker to making you care about the air?
Protecting our air for environmental and human health reasons is a continuous challenge. Behaviour change is a slow process. The more we know about what motivates people to think about air quality, the better able we are to shape these conversations about our most vital life sustaining resource – air — in a way that will get more people to sit up and listen.
Can you help? Leave a comment on what your top motivator is, and tell us what country or province/state you are from.
Take a partner
It’s an ongoing challenge in public health outreach and promotion — reaching as many people as possible in the most effective ways possible. So, as health communicators, what strategies can we use to tackle that mountain?
Over the last few years we’ve spoken several times at conferences and public health events about the benefits of identifying and fostering relationships with stakeholder groups in support of improved personal health.
The rationale – awareness and understanding of a health topic will be more accepted and more likely to be acted upon when it comes from a voice people believe in – a doctor, a therapist, support group leader, or non-profit health organization, etc.
Well planned and executed partnership programs rely on a network of like-minded groups to share health promotion messages through their existing communication channels and tools without heavily impeding on their resources. The benefits of this model include increased credibility, cost effectiveness, consistency of message and expanded reach within a health promotion campaign.
Easy to say, harder to do.
At Communication Solutions, we’ve developed an Integrated Health Promotion outline — a short series of questions for project leaders and managers to consider when planning an outreach initiative, which can help form the basis of a measureable stakeholder partnership model.
These questions include:
- Are there opportunities to align or connect with organizations in support of my program or initiative?
- How could my messages align with those being shared by other groups? Would the messages appeal to their audiences?
- Are there new or additional opportunities to create champions of my program or initiative?
- What communication channels and tools could be created or accessed to maximize increased education and information sharing?
In the end, thoughtful investment in a partner program makes it easier for stakeholders to share information and promote action even after funding dollars run out. What successful public health partnerships have you or your organizations been involved in?