The subjective wellbeing of physicians and the degree of dissatisfaction with their practice is nowadays an important issue in English speaking journals. There is an international perception of a growing and deepening crisis in health systems that is affecting the professional and personal life of physicians. A multidisciplinary group, from two main Universities in Chile, has been formed to investigate this situation locally. The results of this investigation will be published in successive issues of Revista Médica de Chile (Rev Méd Chile 2004; 132: 635-6).