The health and wellbeing of junior doctors: insights from a national survey

Abstract

Junior doctors face specific pressures related to their professional stage and development and can be at risk of poor health. A confidential survey conducted in 2008 by the Australian Medical Association Council of Doctors in Training investigated the health and wellbeing of junior doctors. There were 914 completed surveys: 71% of junior doctors were concerned about their own health, and 63% about the health of a colleague. A majority of junior doctors met well established criteria for low job satisfaction (71%), burnout (69%) and compassion fatigue (54%). The early stages of a medical career are demanding, and the health and wellbeing of junior doctors must be a personal priority, as well as the responsibility of the medical profession in general, to ensure a healthy medical workforce in the future.

The work environment of junior doctors: their perspectives and coping strategies

“…Like previous research, psychologically distressed junior doctors are less likely to spend time with friends and family, discuss their concerns or exercise 8. The use of alcohol was common at all levels of psychological distress.…”

“…Consistent with existing literature, fewer doctors have their own general practitioner to look after their health compared with the general community (table 2). 8 Additionally, very few respondents have used the doctors' health advisory services (table 2), this is considerably less than the previously estimated 5% and may reflect the cultural stigma surrounding needing to seek help 8. Support for junior doctors needs to be offered by institutions and colleagues to minimise early exit from the medical workforce.…”

Stress and sleep quality in doctors working on-call shifts are associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders

“…This prevalence was higher than in general population showing serious psychosocial alarm[23]. A previous report showed that doctors had higher rates of psychological stress, depression, and attempted suicide[24,25]. Sleep deprivation due to 24 hour-on-call shifts negatively affects both physiological and psychological distress, which may impact clinical performance[26].…”

Reducing stress and burnout in junior doctors: the impact of debriefing sessions

“…It has been reported to occur in 18–82% of junior doctors and increases towards the end of the intern year 3. One Australian study on junior doctor well-being found that 71% of doctors were concerned about their own health and the majority had low job satisfaction (71%), burnout (69%) and compassion fatigue (54%) 2 10…”