Big year for doctors’ mental health

WELCOME to the last issue of MJA InSight for 2018!

It’s been another big year for us – 706 783 pageviews for the year, a rise of 24% on 2017 – and that’s down to you, our readers, so thank you from all of us.

In 2019, you can expect a couple of changes. MJA InSight will be known as InSight+ and returns to its original home at mja.com.au. If you want to change your bookmark, it will be www.insight.mja.com.au … but don’t worry, you will be automatically redirected, and all the existing content will be there.

The move is all about keeping our MJA products together, and it makes it easier for us to connect you to related content.

So, bring on 2019!

This year, as in 2017, we devoted a lot of bandwidth to doctors’ health, particularly mental health, and the list of the top 10 articles for 2018 reflects that it remains an issue that concerns you.

1. Steve Robson: Learn from me: speak out, seek help, get treatment
2. Kate Harding: Doctors’ wellbeing: learning from Richard’s death
3. Kate Tree: Doctors’ mental health: a heartfelt reply to Steve Robson
4. Peter Friedland: When “my ear feels blocked” is a medical emergency
5. Charlie Corke: Bawa-Garba case a setback for all young doctors
6. Bernard Robertson-Dunn: My Health Record: on a path to nowhere?
7. Geoffrey Toogood: Clear suicide risk exists for doctors under investigation
8. PSA screening for asymptomatic men: is the jury in yet?
9. Jane McCredie: Vaginas no place for wasps’ nests. No kidding
10. The researchers, the university and the bizarre medical cult

I want to extend particular thanks to Professor Steve Robson, Dr Kate Harding, Dr Kate Tree and Dr Geoffrey Toogood, who bared their souls to us all without hesitation. I think it’s fair to say that Steve’s article, in particular, went viral and is now being shown to medical students by their teachers, to junior doctors by their supervisors, and by seniors to the people they are mentoring. It also got a mention in no lesser place than Nature, so its impact has been global.

Long may that continue.

To our regular columnists – Jane McCredie; Dr Sue Ieraci; Dr Aniello Iannuzzi; Dr Will Cairns; the crew at GPs Down Under; Dr Geoff Toogood; Dr Sara Townend, who did more to raise the profile of refugees on Nauru within the medical community than most; and Dr Toby Commerford – thank you for submitting off your own bat, and responding to a call when needed. Champions, one and all.

Thanks to my small team of professionals – Nicole MacKee, Dr Zoe Silverstone and Laura Teruel – and freelancers Sarah Colyer and Charlotte Mitchell, who stepped into the breach when called on.

We’re pooped! But we’ll be back refreshed and ready to crack on from our first issue of 2019, on 14 January. If you have a moment over summer, feel free to drop me a line at cswannell@mja.com.au and let us know which topics you’d like to see us focus on. We’re always happy for constructive feedback.

From all of us here at MJA InSight, thank you for support, and we wish you a happy, safe summer celebrating whichever festival is your tradition.

Cheers!