Occupational distress among physicians is tied to increased odds of substance use, sleep disturbance, binge eating, and poor health in general, a cross-sectional study of 417 U.K. doctors shows.
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Burned-out or depressed doctors had higher risks of those health problems regardless of whether or not they worked in a hospital setting, according to Asta Medisauskaite, PhD, of University College London and Caroline Kamau, PhD, of the University of London. The study was published in BMJ Open.
The investigators asked the participants to answer a battery of validated questionnaires online, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index.
The odds of many health problems were increased among the physicians with emotional exhaustion, as indicated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, as was also the case with psychiatric disorders, according to the General Health Questionnaire-12, which investigators noted has been used extensively to examine medical doctors and other working populations.
Sleep disturbances were, for example, more likely in physicians with burnout or psychiatric morbidity, with odds ratios ranging from 1.344 to 3.826, the investigators reported. Likewise, these indicators of occupational distress increased the risk of suffering from frequent poor health, with odds ratios from 1.050 to 3.544, and of binge eating, with odds ratios from 1.311 to 1.841, Dr. Medisauskaite and Dr. Kamau reported.
Distressed doctors more often used alcohol, according to the researchers, who said that they found a higher risk of alcohol dependence (odds ratio, 6.165) among physicians reporting that they used substances to feel better or cope with stress. Those doctors also had higher risk of binge drinking, drinking larger quantities, and using alcohol more often, the data show. In fact, 44% of the physicians reported binge drinking, and 5% met the criteria for alcohol dependence, Dr. Medisauskaite and Dr. Kamau wrote. Binge drinking was defined as consuming more than six drinks on a single occasion.
Previous studies have indicated that occupational distress among physicians has negative effects on quality of care and patient safety, the authors noted. This latest cross-sectional study builds on those findings by showing that occupational distress increases risk of health problems among doctors. “The impact of occupational distress or ill health could increase levels of sickness-absence among doctors, thus reducing patient safety because of understaffing,” Dr. Medisauskaite and Dr. Kamau wrote.
Similarly, physicians with sleep problems or substance use related to occupational distress could perform poorly on the job because of being groggy, intoxicated, or hung over, they said.
“We recommend that doctors’ mentors, supervisors, peers, and occupational health support services recognize and act on (1) the prevalence of occupational distress and health problems among doctors; (2) the possibility that occupational distress raises the risk of several health problems; and (3) the need to provide early interventions,” Dr. Medisauskaite and Dr. Kamau wrote. Such interventions could help prevent physicians who are experiencing occupational distress from suffering the long-term health effects from sleep disturbances, binge drinking and binge eating, and ill health, they suggested.
One limitation cited was the study’s cross-sectional design, which makes it impossible to draw conclusions about causation. The researchers also conceded that some participants might not have been comfortable answering questions about illicit use of drugs or alcohol. Nevertheless, they said,
Dr. Medisauskaite and Dr. Kamau declared no competing interests related to the study.
SOURCE: Medisauskaite A, Kamau C. BMJ Open. 2019 May 15. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027362.