Pending appendicectomy: a personal experience and review of a doctor's own illness

Doctors will inevitably 1 day become patients. Whether as an acute emergency or as part of routine screening, doctors often find it difficult to recognise and act on their own healthcare needs. This article aims to provide a personal account and reflections from the point of view of a doctor in denial about his acute appendicitis, and a friend and fellow colleague's attempts to convince him to seek help. We review the challenges, learning points and literature about why doctors ignore their health needs, both physical and psychological, and suggest potential changes to tackle this issue based on the current literature, support networks and personal experiences.