Physicians’ mental health and working conditions can affect their work and the risk of medical errors.
- Physician burnout, like practicing in rural areas, increases risk of medical malpractice claims
- The risk factors mentioned in this study vary between men and women
- Research authors point to need to alleviate physician overwork
Published in the British Medical Journal, This new study led by Australian researchers from the University of Melbourne is based on the analysis of the responses of more than 12,000 Australian doctors to the “Medicine in Australia Balancing Employment and Life” survey, carried out between 2013 and 2018.
The questions put to the participants concerned various criteria such as their specialty, their age or their sex, as well as more personal questions concerning their state of health, their personality traits, the quality and satisfaction of their personal life or even their working conditions.
The doctors questioned were also asked if they had already been sued, which was the case for just over 5% of them. The latter would have been involved in a complaint filed by their patients or relatives, for medical negligence.
This research, the first of its kind to focus on the specific link between the psychological well-being of doctors and the risk of being sued, is essential to prevent the occurrence of medical errors. “Patients who are harmed by a medical error can sue the physician involved for redress, answers, and assurance that the errors will not be repeated. Therefore, understanding why this doctor made a mistake and was sued can help us reduce medical errors and improve the quality of healthcare.” develops Owen Bradfield, a researcher at the University of Melbourne who co-led the study.
Improving the daily life of doctors and reducing the workload
Among the risk factors associated with medical errors, work overload is at the top of the list. Then come the fact of working in a rural area, a low level of satisfaction with one’s life, as well as the difficulty of achieving a balance between professional and private life.
However, these factors vary by gender. If the causes mentioned above seem to relate more to men, the risks in women accused of medical negligence would be more related to the fact of working part-time or of having recently suffered a physical injury or illness. “Increasing age is a stronger predictor of claims among male physicians“, says the study.
“We need to reduce physician fatigue by tackling long working hours. We also need to create supportive work environments and target interventions that improve physicians’ overall well-being, including through lifestyle and positive psychology programs. This could reduce the risk of doctors being sued and improve patient safety“, conclude the authors of the study.
