Physician anger, Part 2. More on the dance of anger

This article is a follow-up to an interview with Charles Dwyer, PhD, which appeared in the 1999 March/April issue of The Physician Executive. He described how physician executives can change the perceptions of today's beleaguered physicians and help them cope with change. We then asked him for some hands-on strategies to deal with physician anger, fear, and resentment. After much contemplation on providing a list of "fixes" that will restore each of us to a state of greater satisfaction, Dr. Dwyer concludes that there are no generalizable solutions because there are too many variables that come into play in each organization, individual, or group. Attending to the self can provide both individual rescue from these turbulent times and the best hope for changes in the system from which patients and health care providers can benefit. If physicians are to regain their power and maintain, or even improve, their quality of life, clearly changes are called for. And these are changes that require persistent effort and uncomfortable adjustments.