Hospital doctors hit by severe stresses

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

One in 10 hospital doctors in an Auckland study suffers a severe psychological disturbance.

They were among the nearly 30 per cent found to be psychologically distressed in a Massey University study of 172 doctors at the Starship, Green Lane and Auckland hospitals.

Ian Powell, executive director of the senior doctors' union, said the figures should alarm the Auckland District Health Board and the Government. "It's very worrying."

The findings are similar to those of British, Australian and New Zealand surveys of hospital physicians, surgeons, GPs and pharmacists dating from 1999.

The New Zealand studies found that the proportion of health workers who were psychologically distressed was two to three times higher than the rate in the general population.

Writing in the latest NZ Medical Journal, where their Auckland hospitals study is published, researchers Dave Clarke and Racquel Singh say it suggests many doctors are "clinically depressed, anxious, or experiencing psychiatric symptoms. The most frequent stressful situations reported were associated with work demands, commonly found in other studies".

They also comment that the hospitals' "top-down management system" seems to contribute to additional stress among hospital doctors.

"Whatever the sources of stress, doctors who perceive that their productivity and family life are adversely affected by work and non-work-related stresses need help."

All registered health workers, clinics and hospitals must by law report colleagues or employees whose work they think is impaired by a physical or mental condition.

The Auckland board's acting chief medical officer, Dr Margaret Wilsher, yesterday expressed concern about stress and acknowledged that doctors had "higher levels of stress than the general population".

But she said the findings did not mean patients were at risk, since doctors worked in teams.

"Generally we can pick up some of the signs and symptoms of stress in a team environment and take the pressure off ... We can reduce their working hours, reduce the intensity of their workload, make sure they take leave."

Bad diagnosis

* Study of 172 doctors at Starship, Green Lane and Auckland hospitals.

* 17 (9.9 per cent) had severe psychological disturbance.

* They were among 50 (29.1 per cent) who were psychologically distressed.

* Based on written questionnaires in 2000.

* The hospital says the findings do not mean patients are at risk.