Dr. @GitaPensaMD discussing #LitigationStress with the @CORD_EM Wellness Leadership Mini-Fellowship.

https://thelword.podbean.com/#.XKn8LvrzmrY.twitter

Physicians are unprepared for the stress of being sued.

#doctorsarehumanstoo #preventburnout

the threat of targeting personal assets is an increasingly used tactic, though rarely successful.

~7.4% of all physicians are sued, between 75-90% of us will be named at some point during career.

#litigationstress #doctorsarehumanstoo

while we teach physicians to do risk management as part of being a good doctor, risk management implies that when something bad happens, we did something wrong.

litigation does not necessarily mean any bad outcomes.

#doctorsarehumanstoo #preventburnout #harmreduction

PTSD, acute stress disorder, maladaptive disorders, substance abuse... are results of litigation.

Worse, physicians are perfectionists, and there is a lack of control of the process + isolation, "don't talk about it"

#preventburnout #doctorsarehumanstoo #litigationstress

There's nothing that triggers #impostersyndrome worse than getting served by a lawsuit.--Dr. @GitaPensaMD

Physical symptoms are common.
Emotional and psychological impact.
Behavioral and cognitive effects.
Sleep and mood suffer.
Spirituality suffer.

Family members are affected.

Once you've been served, expect a gut punch.
You're not supposed to talk about the _details_ of the case.

It's important to talk about generalities, how it's affecting you, how you're coping.

It's important to talk with others who were sued. There are books on #ligitationstress

the spectrum of expected response to an outside stressor in #litigationstress:
medical malpractice stress syndrome.
increased physical symptoms.
interferes with work and home life
substance abuse and suicidality

this is an emergency.

#doctorsarehumanstoo

listening to accounts of physicians sharing their struggles dealing with #ligitationstress is harrowing

I'm grateful for physician leaders like Dr. @GitaPensaMD, who carries the cross of sharing stories and illuminating about such a topic no one wants to talk about.

"The sense of #shame is overwhelming... It drives physicians to alcohol. to major depression.. to suicidal ideation.. It challenges marriages... we need more help. we need to help each other."

#litigationstress #doctorsarehumanstoo

It doesn't matter how far along you are in your training.

"Why didn't anybody ask me how I was?"

"I heard something is going on. we don't have to talk about it. I think you're a great doctor"
#doctorsarehumanstoo #preventburnout #isolation #shame #litigationstress

"Are you OK?"

They're not defined by the litigation.

"It was the lowest point of my life to date. I don't think I've had a particularly easy life. It was the worst part."

#doctorsarehumanstoo #litigationstress

"There's got to be someone out there who knows how to deal with this better. I started looking for help."

#doctorsarehumanstoo #litigationstress

Talk about it. Openly. when it happens to you. Seek out people who've had the same experience.

Knowledge will mitigate anxiety

If you need help, there is help.

Learn how to reframe.

Litigation is not about medicine. It's about money. It's about optics. It's about strategy.

Your career is much much much more than any one case. You are not defined by one case that ends up in litigation.

#doctorsarehumanstoo. #preventburnout. #litigationstress.