[International and Israeli physicians' health--information and action plan]

Physician health is a matter of interest for patients' physicians and their teams, managers and policy-makers. It has an impact on public health, physician impairment, patient safety, resource allocation and malpractice litigation. International medical literature, unlike Israel publications, is extensively preoccupied with the domain. Based on 2 MD thesis dissertations, Ministry of Health data and a literature search, the present review addresses many issues. It deals with: physicians' physical and mental health internationally and in Israel, prevention and health promotion, burn-out, the professional lifespan and career, health services utilization, legal and administrative aspects, boundaries, physicians' characteristics and vulnerability, interpersonal relations, care provided by physicians, physicians as patients and finally the impaired physician. International recommendations as well as a proposal for a local action plan are presented.