MENTAL HEALTH OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Anxiety, depression, burnout, fear, anger. Doctors experience the gamut of mental health issues.

Numerous factors contribute to elevated stress among healthcare workers, including heavy workloads, long shifts, a high pace, lack of physical or psychological safety, chronicity of care, moral conflicts, perceived job security, and workplace-related bullying or lack of social support. The resulting psychological distress can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and other illnesses. Work-related stress can have a negative impact on health care providers' professionalism, quality of care delivery, efficiency, and overall quality of life. Therefore, it is critical to identify and mitigate these work-related risk factors to protect the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers.

Burnout in healthcare workers can also have adverse impacts on patient care. Several cross-sectional studies have linked burnout to suboptimal patient care practices, as well as to a doubled risk of medical error and a 17% increased odds of being named in a medical malpractice suit. Self-perceived major medical errors were also associated with worsening burnout, depressive symptoms, and a decrease in quality of life. This suggests a bidirectional relationship between medical errors and distress. Burnout has also been shown to contribute to a higher risk of motor vehicle accidents (even after adjusting for fatigue) among physicians. Other consequences of burnout include absenteeism, low organizational commitment, increased turnover of skilled staff, and greater patient dissatisfaction.

A recent worldwide incident that can clearly show the heavy distress experienced by healthcare workers is COVID-19. The coronavirus has been around for the past 2-3 years and since then there have been many issues such as not enough oxygen available for patients, no space in hospitals, prior patients not being taken care of due to covid patients, and many more. These issues have taken a great toll on medical professionals. In recent years, the mental health needs of healthcare providers have been gaining attention as a major public health concern and threat to quality care delivery. Healthcare professionals are exposed to multiple stress factors within their work, which may influence their physical, mental, and emotional well-being in negative ways.

Author: Mishree Patel