Dr. Firth-Cozens begins her paper by reviewing a broad range of research re
lated to physicians' stress, depression, and alcoholism (Firth-Cozens, 2001
, Social Science and Medicine, 52, 215-222). She then argues that these psy
chological problems have a negative impact on patient care and describes th
e possible causes of these problems. Finally, she proposes a system of orga
nizational and individual interventions to address these problems. Before a
ccepting her conclusions and proposed system of interventions, an important
issue should be considered. Is physicians' well-being an important goal in
and of itself, or do we need strong evidence that physician stress, depres
sion, and alcoholism lead to poor patient care and outcomes? Published by E
lsevier Science Ltd.