Well-Being
Charter

Coming Events

Self-Assessment
Tool

Contact Peer
Supporters

More Professional
Support

Well-Being
Charter

Coming Events

Self-Assessment
Tool

Contact Peer
Supporters

More Professional
Support

Promoting Doctors’ Well-Being
Ensuring Quality Patient Care

Take actions ASAP to manage stress and to avoid burnout
What is "Well-being" U.K. Department of Health defines well-being as “feeling good and functioning well and comprises an individual’s experience of their life; and a comparison of life circumstances with social norms and values.”1
What is "Health" World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”2

What's News.

Let the Smile Shine
Save the Date - Mid-Autumn Get-Together 
2025 Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and Medical Alumni Golf Tournament 

Promoting Doctors’ Well-Being
Ensuring Quality Patient Care

Take actions ASAP to manage stress and to avoid burnout
What is "Well-being" Well-being icon
 U.K. Department of Health defines well-being as “feeling good and functioning well and comprises an individual’s experience of their life; and a comparison of life circumstances with social norms and values.”1
What is
"Health"
World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”2

What's News.

Let the Smile Shine
Save the Date - Mid-Autumn Get-Together 
2025 Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and Medical Alumni Golf Tournament 

Academy’s Commitment

Quality patient care and doctors’ well-being go hand in hand.1 As healthcare practitioners, our duty is to look after the health of patients and the community,2 and we can do this well only if we are willing and able to look after ourselves and each other.

Every one of our colleagues should also enjoy the opportunities for personal development and for meeting demands in other areas of life, and we can help each other to achieve that.

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Academy), assuming a leading role in the medical and dental profession, has promulgated a  Well-being Charter committed to cultivating and promoting well-being of Academy Fellows and specialist trainees of Academy Colleges. We pledge to acknowledge the importance of well-being, to take actions, and to advocate policy changes for the improvement of our Fellows’ and trainees’ wellness. Task Force on Well-being, chaired by the Academy’s Honorary Secretary, has been set up to devise plans and initiatives. Click here for the membership.

Well-Being Charter

Academy’s Commitment

Well-Being Charter

Quality patient care and doctors’ well-being go hand in hand.1 As healthcare practitioners, our duty is to look after the health of patients and the community,2 and we can do this well only if we are willing and able to look after ourselves and each other.


Every one of our colleagues should also enjoy the opportunities for personal development and for meeting demands in other areas of life, and we can help each other to achieve that.


The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Academy), assuming a leading role in the medical and dental profession, has promulgated a  Well-being Charter committed to cultivating and promoting well-being of Academy Fellows and specialist trainees of Academy Colleges. We pledge to acknowledge the importance of well-being, to take actions, and to advocate policy changes for the improvement of our Fellows’ and trainees’ wellness. Task Force on Well-being, chaired by the Academy’s Honorary Secretary, has been set up to devise plans and initiatives. Click here for the membership.

View More

Our Incremental Approach

Manage stress, avoid burnout and stay well.
Self-Care
Providing practical advice for enhancing well-being and managing stress.
Ask For Help
Facilitating a peer support network and providing information on getting professional help.
Awareness
Helping you understand and recognise the causes, signs, and symptoms of burnout, stress, and other mental well-being issues.

A

S

A

P

Promotion of
Well-Being
Cultivating a culture of care and support, making recommendations for well-being improvement at the organisational level and organising well-being programmes.

Our Incremental Approach

Manage stress, avoid burnout and stay well.

Awareness

Helping you understand and recognise the causes, signs, and symptoms of burnout, stress, and other mental well-being issues.
Know More About Stress
Know More About Burnout

Self-Care

Providing practical advice for enhancing well-being and managing stress.
Physical

Physical 15

Overwhelming stress can trigger a range of physical responses.
Recharge your body to cope with everyday pressures.
Intellectual

Intellectual16

Maintain curiosity, value lifelong learning and respond positively to intellectual challenges.
Expand knowledge and skills.
Financial

Financial 17

Be mindful of your financial decision making.
Occupational

Occupational 16

Participate in work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment that is consistent with your values, goals, and lifestyle.
Interpersonal

Interpersonal/Social 16

Maintain healthy relationships, enjoy being with others, take care of others and let others take care of you.
Connect with Fellows through participation in activities organsied by the Academy’s Social Subcommittee. Click here for details.
Emotional

Emotional 16-17

Identify, understand and respect your feelings, values and attitudes that may lead to negative emotions.
Environmental

Environmental 17

Lead a lifestyle that values the relationship between the individual, the community, and the environment.
Well-being is affected by the environments we live in and we as individuals also have a significant impact on these environments.
Connect with nature and plants by joining the Friends of Academy’s Gardening Corner Programme that promotes healthy lifestyle and connection with Fellows interested in organic gardening.
Spiritual

Spiritual 16

Find purpose, value, and meaning in your life, and participate in activities that are consistent with your beliefs and values.
Audios for mindfulness practice
Sitting meditation (10 mins)

Body scan (10 mins)

Breathing space (3 mins)
Podcast produced by Academy’s Young Fellows Chapter.
Suggest

Suggested Readings

We hope these diverse readings and videos offer something to remind us of the realities but also the joy of medicine. Many of these selections are grounded in how we find meaning in our lives and work, and bring meaning to what we do.
View More
Physical

Physical 15

Overwhelming stress can trigger a range of physical responses.
Recharge your body to cope with everyday pressures.

Ask For Help

Facilitating a peer support network and providing information on getting professional help.

Peer Support

View More

Professional Help

View More
Enroll as a Peer Supporter Now

Promotion of Well-Being

Cultivating a culture of care and support, making recommendations for well-being improvement at the organisational level and organising well-being programmes.

Academy’s Commitment

The Academy, assuming a leading role in the medical and dental profession, is committed to cultivating and promoting well-being of Academy Fellows and specialist trainees.
View More

Colleges’ Commitment

“Mental Health Tips for Doctors”, a pamphlet that offers advice and useful tips to doctors who are feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted (published by the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists).
Mental Health Tip for Doctors
  1. Department of Health, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Wellbeing: Why it matters to health policy. https:// assets. publishing .service .gov .uk /government /uploads /system /uploads /attachment_data/ file/ 277566/ Narrative__ January_ 2014_.pdf. Accessed August 25, 2021.

  2. World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organization. https:// apps. who. int /gb /bd /PDF /bd47 /EN /constitution-en.pdf. Accessed August 25, 2021.

  3. World Health Organization. Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. https:// www.who.int/ news/ item/ 28- 05- 2019- burn- out- an- occupational- phenomenon- international- classification- of- diseases. Accessed August 25, 2021.

  4. Wong JGWS. Doctors and Stress. https:// www. fmshk. org/ database/ hkmd/ hkmd200806. pdf . Accessed August 26, 2021.

  5. Maslach C, Leiter MP. Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2016;15(2):103-111.

  6. Cleveland Clinic. Stress. https:// my. clevelandclinic. org/ health/ articles/ 11874 -stress. Accessed August 26, 2021.

  7. National Health Service. Stress. https:// www. nhs .uk /mental-health /feelings-symptoms-behaviours /feelings-and-symptoms /stress. Accessed August 26, 2021.

  8. National Health Service. 10 Stress busters. https:// www. nhs. uk/ mental-health/ self-help/ guides-tools-and-activities/tips-to-reduce-stress. Accessed September 10, 2021.

  9. Kwan et al. Burnout and well-being in young doctors in Hong Kong: a territory-wide cross-sectional survey. Hong Kong Med J. 2021;27:Epub 5 Oct 2021.

  10. National Health Service. Stress and burnout. https:// people. nhs. uk/ executivesuite/ support- in- difficult- times/ stress- and- burnout. Accessed 9 Sep 2021.

  1. Drummond D. Physician Burnout: Its Origin, Symptoms, and Five Main Causes. Fam Pract Manag. 2015;22(5):42-47.

  2. Arnsten AFT, Shanafelt T. Physician Distress and Burnout: The Neurobiological Perspective. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021;96(3):763-769.

  3. Spitzer RL et al. A brief measure for assessing generalised anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092–1097.

  4. Kroenke K et al. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606-613.

  5. The Learning Architect. Burnout: How to avoid it and look after yourself. https:// www. workingwellglos. nhs. uk/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2019/ 01/ Burnout- how- to- avoid- it. pdf. Accessed August 26, 2021.

  6. Stoewen DL. Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. Can Vet J. 2017;58(8):861-862.

  7. Harvard University Health Services. Your wellbeing. https:// wellness. huhs. harvard. edu/ your-wellbeing. Accessed September 10, 2021.

  8. Hand-in-hand Peer Support. Peer support: A brief guide. https:// bec3aca7-a706- 4de7- 849b- b9c0f9f7e0c1. filesusr. com/ ugd/ 42b229_ cbfe22e8c81f45 50a55415ba98045aed. pdf. Accessed August 26, 2021.

  9. The General Medical Council. Caring for doctors, caring for patients. https:// www. gmc- uk. org/ -/ media/ documents/ caring- for- doctors- caring- for- patients_ pdf- 80706341. pdf. Accessed August 26, 2021.

  10. Mental Health America. Evidence for Peer Support https:// mhanational. org/ sites/ default/ files/ Evidence%20 for%20 Peer%20 Support%20 May%202019 .pdf. Accessed September 1, 2022.

  11. Goodman MJ, Schorling JB. A mindfulness course decreases burnout and improves well-being among healthcare providers. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2012;43(2):119-28.
References

Nature of peer support

As a Peer Supporter, you are requested to commit to the followings:
  • attend and complete relevant training provided by the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists beforehand
  • give consent to publish general personal information on the Academy’s webpage, and provide contact means (e.g., email address / phone number) which may be made available to Support Seekers under special circumstances
  • be a motivator to bring in positive energy and aspirations to Support Seekers
  • ready to share your experiences and offer your support to those seeking your help
  • connect and follow up with the Support Seekers as needed
  • decline any request for assistance if you are unable / not available to offer help
  • make referrals to other Peer Supporters or propose alternatives to those whom you are not able to help
  • keep the conversations with the Support Seekers confidential
  • provide feedback and alert the Academy if you encounter any situations that are considered vulnerable to undesired circumstances or further support is required.
As a Peer Supporter, you are reminded NOT to:
  • let emails or messages sent to you unanswered; an interim reply during busy times will suffice, or a proper referral to other if needed
  • be involved in any financial relationship with the Support Seekers
  • help your Support Seekers in a way other than providing support or guidance (e.g., to help secure a job)
  • be involved in verbal, written or physical conducts that are sensitive or may be unwelcome by the Support Seekers, with considerations of issues concerning Equal Opportunities, Sexual Discrimination or Harassment, and Disability Discrimination etc.

Well-Being Charter

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Academy), assuming a leading role in the medical and dental profession, has promulgated a Well-being Charter committed to cultivating and promoting well-being of Academy Fellows and specialist trainees of Academy Colleges. We pledge to acknowledge the importance of well-being, to take action, and to advocate policy changes for the improvement of our Fellows’ and trainees’ wellness.
View the Charter

List of Peer Supporters

(for Academy Fellows and specialist trainees of Academy Colleges only)
Name Specialty Academy CollegeYear of AdmissionType of Practice
Alice Lai-keung ChoyAnaesthesiologyThe Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists1993Private
Alvin Man-ho YuAnaesthesiologyThe Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists2015Public
Pui-yan TangAnaesthesiologyThe Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists2012Public
Vansie KwokAnaesthesiologyThe Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists2012Public
Vivian Nga-man LauAnaesthesiologyThe Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists2016Public
Kenneth Chun-wai WongClinical OncologyHong Kong College of Radiologists2017Public
Winnie Wing-yan TinClinical OncologyHong Kong College of Radiologists2015Public
Wing-kin IpDermatology and VenereologyHong Kong College of Physicians1995Private
Karen Kar-yan LaiDS-Oral & Maxillofacial SurgeryThe College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong2019Private
Chi-ming ChanEmergency MedicineHong Kong College of Emergency Medicine2004Public
Clara Wing-yee WuEmergency MedicineHong Kong College of Emergency Medicine2004Private
Kwok-hei ChanEmergency MedicineHong Kong College of Emergency Medicine1997Public

More Professional Support

  • Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre: 18288
  • Hospital Authority Psychiatric Hotline: 24667350
  • Social Welfare Department: 23432255
  • Suicide Prevention Services: 23820000
  • The Samaritan Befrienders: 23892222
  • Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals - CEASE Crisis Centre: 18281

Stress: The origin of burnout

Definition of stress
  • According to Lazarus and Folkman, stress is “resulted from an imbalance between demands and resources or occurred when pressure exceeds one’s perceived ability to cope.”4
  • Stress can be a positive experience in that it keeps one alert, motivated and ready to face challenges or changes (stressors); but stress can become a problem when stressors persist without relief or periods of relaxation which can eventually lead to burnout.3,5,6

Stress: The origin of burnout

Sources of stress4
Job
  • Heavy workload
  • Time pressure
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Irregular meals
  • Threat of malpractice suits
Organisation
  • Poor career structure and uncertainties
  • Inadequacy of resources and staff
  • Lack of senior support
  • Poor organisation’s culture and climate
Doctor
  • Personality
  • High demands on self and colleagues
  • Confrontation with emotional and physical suffering
Relationships
  • Staff conflicts
  • Professional isolation
  • Low-level support from friends and family
  • High patients’ expectations and demands
Personal life
  • Stress over-spill from work to home and vice versa
  • Lack of leisure activities
  • Lack of free time
  • Home demands
  • Disruptions to social life

Stress: The origin of burnout

Symptoms of stress7
The UK National Health Service (NHS) identifies the following symptoms of stress:
Physical symptoms
  • Headache or dizziness
  • Muscle tension or pain
  • Stomach problems
  • Chest pain or a faster heartbeat
  • Sexual problems
Mental symptoms
  • Difficulty in concentrating and making decisions
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Constantly worrying
  • Being forgetful
Behavioural changes
  • Being irritable and snappy
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Eating too much or too little
  • Avoiding certain places or people
  • Drinking or smoking more

Stress: The origin of burnout

Coping with stress
To prevent the persistency of stress from turning into burnout, the NHS suggests “10 stress busters” to help relieve stress:8

1.

Exercise to reduce your emotional intensity, clear your thoughts, and calm yourself.

2.

Take control and manage your time.

3.

Connect with colleagues, friends and family to get support and relax.

4.

Get quality “me time” away from work a few nights a week.

5.

Set yourself goals to continue learning and be emotionally resilient.

6.

Avoid dependence on alcohol, smoking or caffeine.

7.

Help other people in the community to become more resilient.

8.

Work smarter by prioritising your work.

9.

Try to be positive by writing down three things that you are grateful for at the end of every day.

10.

Accept things that you cannot change and concentrate on those you can control.

Burnout

Definitions from WHO
Burnout is a psychological syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions:3,4
  • Overwhelming exhaustion,
  • Feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job; and
  • Sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.
Burnout “refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”3

Burnout

Prevalence of burnout9
As is the case in many other countries, burnout is highly prevalent among health care practitioners in Hong Kong. According to a recent survey, the prevalences of burnout (measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory) among local residents in-training or doctors within 10 years of their specialist registration (n=514) were:
72.6%

Personal burnout

70.6%

Work-related burnout

55.4%

Client-related burnout

A considerable level of depression and dissatisfaction was found to be associated with burnout among young doctors.

Burnout

Symptoms of burnout10
  • Reduced effectiveness and productivity
  • Cynicism
  • Absenteeism, presenteeism, workaholism
  • Lacking motivation
  • Heightened levels of frustration, negativity
  • Unable to see anything positive or be creative
  • Lack of emotion / becoming dispassionate
  • Disengaged
  • Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
  • Possible dual diagnosis of depression
  • Life may not seem worth living

If you notice yourself experiencing these descriptions, please seek help as soon as possible as recovery from burnout would benefit greatly from early intervention.

Learn more about self-care tips and support that you may seek in the later chapters.

Burnout

Factors of burnout
Main factors causing burnout11
Nature of the profession
  • Practising clinical medicine involves a combination of great responsibility and little control.
  • A degree of stress is inevitable especially when you are seeing patients who are hurt, sick, scared, and dying on a day-to-day basis.
Stress from your personal life
  • Lacking life balancing as you are expected to ignore personal, emotional, and spiritual needs to unhealthy levels.
  • Conflicts with your family members and financial pressures.
Stress from your workplace
  • Job demands, professional liabilities and policy issues.
  • Interpersonal clashes and leadership issues.
Character traits
  • Being a workaholic, superhero, perfectionist, and “lone ranger”.
  • Believing “patients come first” even when you are not with patients.
  • Never showing weakness.

Burnout

Impacts of burnout
Neurobiological impacts12
  • The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has extensive connections with cortical and subcortical brain areas that provide top-down control over thought, attention, action, and emotion when we feel rested, interested, and in control.
  • The higher cognitive functions of the PFC (highlighted in green) are impaired by fatigue or uncontrollable stress (grey), posing potential ramifications to clinical practice.
  • Impaired PFC self-regulation may explain a number of challenges associated with occupational burnout, such as reduced motivation, unprofessional behaviour, decreased compassion, and suboptimal communication with patients.

Suggested Reading

We hope these diverse readings and videos offer something to remind us of the realities but also the joy of medicine. Many of these selections are grounded in how we find meaning in our lives and work, and bring meaning to what we do. Meaning may be found in those things that make us human – when we feel, make mistakes or need to connect with other human beings. To recognize this need for meaning, and then to seek to fulfill it, is a key aspect of doctor wellbeing.
Reading-Category
Title: Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
Author: Atul Gawande
A series of real-life medical stories about little things that helped make medicine better. In particular, the afterword of this book entitled ‘Suggestions for Becoming a Positive Deviant’ offers ideas to make ourselves better and feel less like a ‘cog in the wheel’ in the daily grind of medicine.
Title: When Breath Becomes Air
Author: Paul Kalanithi
A beautiful and heart-wrenching memoir of a neurosurgeon who muses on what matters when unexpectedly diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.

Peer Support

What is peer support?
Peer Support is a way of giving and receiving support.18 Peer support is not therapy but offers temporary social support as empathic and non judgemental listening from a colleague in a safe space. It is entirely confidential and voluntary.19 Both quantitative and qualitative evidence indicate that peer support improves quality of life, increases and improves engagement with services, and increases whole health and self management. 20

Peer Support Scheme (PSS)

The Academy has launched the PSS, which is a voluntary programme for Academy Fellows and specialist trainees to offer or find support through informal communication that may be beneficial to mental well-being.

Any Academy Fellows are welcome to enroll as Peer Supporters (renewable annually on a voluntary basis).
  • Nature of peer support
  • List of Peer Supporters (48 Peer Supporters as of June 2025)
Our Peer Supporters are all experienced Fellows with dedicated mental health training provided by the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists.
For enquiries, please email the Academy Secretariat at

Professional Help

List of Clinical Psychologists working in Non Government Organisations and Private Practicing (published by the Hong Kong Psychological Society)
List of Private Psychiatrists practicing in Hong Kong (published by the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists)
Oasis Centre for Personal Growth and Crisis Intervention
Support hotline services
  • Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre: 18288
  • Hospital Authority Psychiatric Hotline: 24667350
  • Social Welfare Department: 23432255
  • Suicide Prevention Services: 23820000
  • The Samaritan Befrienders: 23892222
  • Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals - CEASE Crisis Centre: 18281

Academy’s commitment

The Academy, assuming a leading role in the medical and dental profession, is committed to cultivating and promoting well-being of Academy Fellows and specialist trainees.

In October 2021, a Well-being Charter has been promulgated. Some of the purposes are to foster a caring and supportive culture within the healthcare professions, to advocate policy changes and propose initiatives to the Government on professional well-being issues, to organise mental health training, and to embed awareness of well- being in training and continuous professional development.

Employers are encouraged to promulgate good practices to build supportive systems at the organisational level through the establishment of effective communication channels, deployment of appropriate resources, and quality improvement strategies.
Better equipped, better mental health care: Getting started with mindfulness

Mindfulness workshop

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is defined as intentional present-moment awareness without judgment. It can be cultivated through a variety of meditation practices. Training in mindfulness has been proposed as a means of alleviating burnout of the healthcare providers, increasing satisfaction, and improving patient care.21

The Academy has been conducting a free mental health training programme, titled “Mindfulness Induction Group”, to equip Fellows and specialist trainees with techniques of applying mindfulness in daily lives and workplace to reduce stress and improve well-being. Five sessions were successfully held. Stayed tune for the announcement of the upcoming sessions on the Academy website and this webpage, or through e-blasts.

Testimonials

  • A practical and concise introduction to the concepts and practice of mindfulness.
  • Good introductory course for beginners & those not knowing the gist of meditation.
  • Difficult topic made easy to understand and friendly encouraging guidance by instructor.
  • Instructor is inclusive and non-judgmental. Audio clips received after the course is useful.
  • It introduces the concept and practical application of mindfulness in daily life.

Audios for mindfulness practice

Sitting meditation (10 mins)

Body scan (10 mins)

Breathing space (3 mins)

Engaging in activities to de-stress

The Social Subcommittee formed under the Academy’s House Committee has been organising a wide range of activities, aiming for enhancement of Fellows’ mental, physical and social well-being.
Click here for details.
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