Prof Ora Paltiel (Hadassah / Hebrew University School of Public Health) organised a meeting on the theme of Medical Professionalism for the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research (NIHPR).

The keynote speaker was Prof. Pali Hungin, President of the British Medical Association, and former Dean of Medicine at Durham University. He delivered what was described as “a thought provoking session regarding the current crisis faced by the profession, due in part to changing demands and expectations of the public, on the one hand, and the relative conservatism of the profession on the other”. He delineated the symptoms of this crisis, including attrition / dropout, burnout and even decreased enrolment in UK medical schools, and suggested some of their causes – including loss of status, time pressure and loss of clinical autonomy. He warned that “Medicine as an esteemed profession is threatened because of changes both in societal expectations and rapid technological transformation”. Despite genuine cause for concern, he predicted that as the use of digital technologies to their full potential, and as expertise is refined, medicine will evolve. The paradigm will shift and he foresaw enhanced professionalism, increased professional satisfaction, and improved patient outcomes in the long term.

Prof David Katz also spoke at the workshop on the theme of “Professional Regulation”.

A full meeting report has been published in the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research and can be accessed here.