Being a GP in the Nordic Countries

Citation

Woody Caan (2016), "Being a GP in the Nordic Countries", Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 115-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-02-2016-0009

As an editor, I have to read a great deal most weeks. It is extremely rare to feel moved by beauty in any of those works, and I cannot recall ever reviewing a book as beautiful as Being a GP in the Nordic Countries. Paintings, poetry, photography, story-telling, interior design and even materials for community singing are all included in this research on 107 general practitioners, postgraduate trainees and medical students from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. I cannot recall ever before reading an account of primary health care after a volcanic eruption (that is treated as a natural part of Icelandic life and medical practice).

The first author works in academic public health in Copenhagen, and comes from a background in medical education. I was lucky to meet Dr Tulinius four years ago at a meeting for research through art and creativity in Cambridge (University of Cambridge, 2012). She has been a strong advocate for the use of the arts both in health research and in professional training.

The primary health care teams studied engage with both health improvement at the population level (e.g. a whole island) and individual health narratives. Some accounts emphasize their collective teamwork (and wellbeing) and others individual pride in their personal experience. A “can do” attitude is present at almost every participating site, but there are some clearly negative reactions to widespread, economic failures and the social consequences. As in all countries, “common” mental illnesses including depression and alcohol dependence figure in general practice, but physical and mental health needs are recognized to co-exist in these Nordic practices in a way that is far more accepting than most discussions I have had in Britain: the Nordic doctors seem to accept “the existence of complexity and uncertainty as natural parts of life” (p. 121). Whereas so many GPs here complain about their time constraints in their surgery, one of the Danish contributors illustrates his knowledge of time as installation art, in a “wheel of inexhaustible possibilities” (p. 131). The Nordic professionals do indeed describe their frustrations and worries, but I value this anonymous poem from Denmark:

Head wind

The pleasure and pain of life I know,

Sweet moments come and go.

Life isn’t straight,

The wind blows where it wills,

But never lose your faith in life (p. 136).

The final section of this book is textual, describing the creative and artistic research methods, recruitment of participants, data analysis and results. The results include “the unspoken, the unspeakable and the forgotten” parts of being a GP that only their artwork could communicate (p. 173). I would recommend Being a GP in the Nordic Countries to readers from all nationalities who have an interest in fresh approaches to research.