A critical review of the definition of ‘wellbeing’ for doctors and their patients in a post Covid-19 era

BACKGROUND: There is no international consensus definition of ‘wellbeing’. This has led to wellbeing being captured in many different ways. AIMS: To construct an inclusive, global operational definition of wellbeing. METHODS: The differences between wellbeing components and determinants and the terms used interchangeably with wellbeing, such as health, are considered from the perspective of a doctor. The philosophies underpinning wellbeing and modern wellbeing research theories are discussed in terms of their appropriateness in an inclusive definition. RESULTS: An operational definition is proposed that is not limited to doctors, but universal, and inclusive: ‘Wellbeing is a state of positive feelings and meeting full potential in the world. It can be measured subjectively and objectively, using a salutogenic approach’. CONCLUSIONS: This operational definition allows the differentiation of wellbeing from terms such as quality of life and emphasises that in the face of global challenges people should still consider wellbeing as more than the absence of pathology.