What is Physician Peer Support?

Physicians and medical learners face unique stressors and challenges which are often best understood by other physicians and medical learners because they share similar life experiences. Peer support is an evidence-based approach to support physician wellness that is characterized by a genuine human connection between people, confidentiality, non-judgmental listening, and providing non-clinical support for other physicians experiencing challenges in their professional or personal lives.

Peer support ​“is one way forward, away from a culture of invulnerability, isolation, and shame and toward a culture that truly values a sense of shared organizational responsibility for clinician well-being and patient safety” (Shapiro & Galowitz, 2016). Additionally, physicians are significantly more likely to seek support from physician colleagues than mental health professionals and EAP (Hu, et al, 2012). Physicians who received peer support reported​“improved well-being, decreased negative emotions and stigma, and perceived positive cultural changes within their departments” (Tolins, et al., 2023).