Physician, heal thyself: The paradox of anxiety amongst house officers and work in a teaching hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety among house officers may impair functioning and health care delivery. This study aimed to determine the association between anxiety among house officers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, sociodemographic and work-related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study using the self-rated and validated Malay Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the General Stressor Questionnaire and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Of the 89 house officers, 60.7% were anxious. Multivariate logistic analysis showed work-related challenges, performance pressure (odds ratio [OR] = 9.000, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.812-44.705), poor relationship with supervisors (OR = 5.212, 95% CI = 2.033-3.365), poor relationship with colleagues (OR = 4.642, 95% CI = 1.816-11.866), bureaucratic constraints (OR = 3.810, 95% CI = 1.541-9.415) and poor job prospects (OR = 3.745, 95% CI = 1.505-9.321) strongly associated with anxiety. Family-related stressors were less significant (OR = 1.800, 95% CI = 0.760-4.266) unless they were work related (work-family conflicts [OR = 8.253, 95% CI = 2.652-25.684]). Discussion: Almost two-thirds of this cohort reported work-related anxiety symptoms. Administrators need to address these mental health needs early. The subsequent improvement in communication skills, conflict resolution and anxiety reduction will result in short-and long-term benefits towards the young doctors's mental health. The cascading impact on these individuals, thus empowered, will be good work-life balance, improved patient care and safety, a satisfying medical career whilst contributing maximally to the country's health care.

Anxiety and depression levels among multidisciplinary health residents

“…The Multidisciplinary Health Residence Programs were created in 2005 by the Law no. 11,129, to enable graduates to develop professional attitudes, becoming good professionals and responsible, and acquiring knowledge and skills in daily work, with the opportunity to exercise the knowledge acquired during undergraduate (1) . It is a post-graduation modality lato sensu characterized by in-service training under supervision, full-time and is as an effective way of development and specialization in health care, and enable integration between education, service and community, promoting partnerships among managers, workers and users, aiming a collective training in service and staff, which can contribute to the care of the user integrity (2)(3) .…”

“…It is a post-graduation modality lato sensu characterized by in-service training under supervision, full-time and is as an effective way of development and specialization in health care, and enable integration between education, service and community, promoting partnerships among managers, workers and users, aiming a collective training in service and staff, which can contribute to the care of the user integrity (2)(3) . Thus, this program allows the exchange of knowledge among the various specialties and between scientific knowledge and popular knowledge because the professional is inserted into the service in contact with users and communities, integrating theory and practice (1) .…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Stress, Anxiety and Depression among House Officers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

“…Medical Act 1971 defines "Housemanship" as a two-year supervised practical training in any public health care institution, upon completing a medical degree program in an accredited medical school. This mandatory training is to produce professional and patient-oriented doctors for the betterment of our public health services (1). Successful completion of this program requires specific documentation, including satisfactory reports from the supervisors and heads of each department, which indicates that the houseman is now eligible to serve with independent capacity in various public/ private health sectors.…”

Mindful-S.T.O.P.: Mindfulness Made Easy for Stress Reduction in Medical Students

“…In a recent study of 89 house-officers in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), 42 (47%) of the trainees reported experiencing moderate to very severe anxiety symptoms (10). Excessive stress in medical students can lead to various psychological disorders (11,12), and negatively affect physical health, interpersonal relationship, and academic performance (12).…”