A cross-sectional study of the health status of Swiss primary care physicians

Abstract

There is limited data on the general health of primary care physicians (PCPs). We aimed to assess the physical and psychological health of Swiss PCPs. We selected a random sample of 1000 PCPs in Western Switzerland. They were asked about their self-rated health status, all medical conditions experienced in the past five years, and the number of days they were hospitalized and off work in 2019. They were also asked whether they had their own general practitioner (GP) and seen a psychiatrist/psychologist in the past 12 months. A total of 503 PCPs were included in the study (women = 51%, GPs = 67%, pediatricians = 19%, gynecologists = 14%). Ninety-four percent considered themselves in good or very good health. In the past five years, PCPs suffered mostly from depression/anxiety (21%), burnout (21%), dyslipidemia (19%) and hypertension (17%). Male and older PCPs had more often cardiovascular disorders, younger PCPs and GPs had more often psychiatric disorders. They were 9% to have been hospitalized (15% for PCPs over 60) and 20% to have been off work (32% for PCPs under 45). Only 47% had their own GP (37% for GPs). They were 16% (mostly female and younger PCPs) to have consulted a psychiatrist/psychologist. In conclusion, although PCPs considered themselves to be in good health, a substantial proportion suffered from a medical condition, mainly psychiatric (depression or burnout) and/or cardiovascular disorders, or were recently hospitalized or off work. Only half had a GP for themselves. These results may be useful for implementing specific health strategies targeting PCPs.

Self-rated health and its related influencing factors among emergency department physicians: a national cross-sectional study

“…The results show that only 14.3% of emergency physicians in China consider themselves in good health, which is lower than the 40.1% of healthcare professionals in other departments in China who report being in good health ( 27 ). In addition, the rate of emergency physicians reporting better health was significantly lower in China compared to the self-rated health status of Norwegian physicians (88.1%) ( 11 ), Swiss primary care physicians (94%) ( 5 ), German physicians (63.3%) ( 13 ) and Lithuanian physicians (61.6%) ( 17 ). This difference may be due to the greater workload and unpredictability of emergency physicians compared to other health workers ( 22 ).…”

Selfcare des médecins ou les cordonniers de Montaigne

“…Les détails concernant ces résultats sont disponibles dans l'article de Sebo et coll. 5 Par ailleurs, l'enquête a montré que, à part une consommation de tabac faible, une partie non négligeable des MPR n'adhéraient pas aux recommandations usuelles de con sommation d'alcool, d'activité physique et d'heures de sommeil. 4 En outre, l'étude a montré que moins de la moitié de ces médecins (47 %) avaient un médecin traitant, et que, parmi ceux ou celles qui en avaient un, ils n'étaient que 50 % à l'avoir consulté au moins une fois durant l'année précédant l'étude.…”