MADISON, Wis. – UW Health is gathering notes of gratitude for its 1,800 physicians in honor of National Doctors’ Day.
This day is held annually on March 30 to celebrate the contributions of physicians who care for the health and wellness of patients in the community.
Patients have two options to share what makes their physician special and what their care has meant to them. One option is to send a private message to a doctor via this online form www.uwhealth.org/thankadoctor. These letters are due by Friday, March 24, and will be shared with the physicians on March 30.
Patients can also share a general note of thanks and appreciation using this Kudoboard. These willl appear together on one online platform and will be shared with all UW Health physicians on March 30. Please note these messages will be visible to others, so private or personal information should not be shared. These messages are due by Wednesday, March 29.
Sometimes people think of physicians as stoic individuals who see very difficult things and have difficult conversations, and while that is a part of the job, we care deeply about our patients and appreciate hearing positive feedback, according to Dr. Jeff Pothof, emergency medicine physician, and chief quality officer at UW Health.
“Reading the comments and kind words from patients really affirms the commitment many of us made as doctors to take care of our communities no matter what,” he said. “Doctors have a desire to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives and coming off a difficult pandemic these grateful messages matter a great deal to us.”
The first Doctors’ Day was observed in 1933. In 1953, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution commemorating Doctors’ Day. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the designation of March 30 as National Doctors’ Day.
A recorded interview with Pothof is available.
