Medline US’s The Voices of Healthcare blog recently addressed the alarmingly high suicide rates amongst healthcare professionals, especially for women in this field. This issue is not limited to the United States; statistics in the UK also show that female healthcare providers (nurses in particular) have a suicide rate 24 per cent higher than the general population. The Lancet also addressed the urgency of this topic, set against the backdrop of a burnout epidemic in the UK. Medline’s blog suggests three strategies to combat this concerning trend and start a conversation about burnout and suicide:

• Address the stress.
• Confront the burnout.
• Recognise that mental illness exists.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, then we encourage you to talk about these feelings with someone you trust. The NHS offers excellent tips about this subject and suicide hotline numbers.

Medline is proud to announce that the European Pink Glove Photo Competition (PGPC) is back for the third year in a row! In this competition, we invite healthcare workers to take creative pictures of themselves wearing our pink gloves, which are posted on Facebook and voted on. The PGPC is one of the many ways that Medline contributes to breast cancer awareness and funding. And this year, there will be three prizes in the form of donations to the first, second and third place winners. You can register for the competition here before 7 September 2018. Please visit our Facebook page for more information.