Yinuo Wu1, Feng Jiang2, Jing Ma3, Yi-Lang Tang4,5, Mingxiao Wang6, Yuanli Liu7. 1. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. 2. Institute of Health Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. 3. Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. 4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States. 5. Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, United States. 6. Department of Cardiology, Emergency General Hospital, Beijing, China. 7. School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal and physical violence against physicians, and burnout have reached epidemic levels. They may negatively impact both physicians and the healthcare system. The experience of medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal, and physical violence, and burnout and the correlates in physicians working in public hospitals in China needed to be investigated. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional survey study was conducted between 18 and 31 March 2019. An anonymous online questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire included the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (Chinese version). We also collected data on demographic and job-related factors, as well as physicians' experiences of medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal and physical violence from patients and the patients' family members. FINDINGS: In total, 22,213 physicians from 144 tertiary public hospitals in all of China's 31 provinces completed the survey. The overall burnout rate among the surveyed physicians was 31.28%. Moreover, 33.48% of physicians experienced disputes, 20.86% experienced disturbances, 48.52% experienced verbal violence, and 5.84% experienced physical violence in the past 12 months. Factors found to be significantly associated with burnout included younger age, being divorced or widowed, having a lower educational background, working in internal medicine departments, longer working hours per day, working in general hospitals, being in East China, as well as having experienced disputes, disturbances, and physical and verbal violence. INTERPRETATION: Close to a third of the Chinese doctors working in the tertiary hospitals reportedly experienced burnout, and the problem is related to the unsafe working environment caused by the worsening doctor-patient relationship.
BACKGROUND: Medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal and physical violence against physicians, and burnout have reached epidemic levels. They may negatively impact both physicians and the healthcare system. The experience of medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal, and physical violence, and burnout and the correlates in physicians working in public hospitals in China needed to be investigated. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional survey study was conducted between 18 and 31 March 2019. An anonymous online questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire included the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (Chinese version). We also collected data on demographic and job-related factors, as well as physicians' experiences of medical disputes, medical disturbances, verbal and physical violence from patients and the patients' family members. FINDINGS: In total, 22,213 physicians from 144 tertiary public hospitals in all of China's 31 provinces completed the survey. The overall burnout rate among the surveyed physicians was 31.28%. Moreover, 33.48% of physicians experienced disputes, 20.86% experienced disturbances, 48.52% experienced verbal violence, and 5.84% experienced physical violence in the past 12 months. Factors found to be significantly associated with burnout included younger age, being divorced or widowed, having a lower educational background, working in internal medicine departments, longer working hours per day, working in general hospitals, being in East China, as well as having experienced disputes, disturbances, and physical and verbal violence. INTERPRETATION: Close to a third of the Chinese doctors working in the tertiary hospitals reportedly experienced burnout, and the problem is related to the unsafe working environment caused by the worsening doctor-patient relationship.
Authors: Michelle Lin; Nicole Battaglioli; Matthew Melamed; Sarah E Mott; Arlene S Chung; Daniel W Robinson Journal: Ann Emerg Med Date: 2019-03-14 Impact factor: 5.721
Authors: Yue-Yung Hu; Ryan J Ellis; D Brock Hewitt; Anthony D Yang; Elaine Ooi Cheung; Judith T Moskowitz; John R Potts; Jo Buyske; David B Hoyt; Thomas J Nasca; Karl Y Bilimoria Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2019-10-28 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Marietta Pohl; Gergely Feher; Krisztián Kapus; Andrea Feher; Gabor Daniel Nagy; Julianna Kiss; Éva Fejes; Lilla Horvath; Antal Tibold Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-12-31 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Hui Pang; Zihan Pan; Rachel Adams; Eleanor Duncan; Chunhua Chi; Xia Kong; Peymané Adab; Kar Keung Cheng; Brendan G Cooper; Jaime Correia-de-Sousa; Andrew P Dickens; Alexandra Enocson; Amanda Farley; Nicola Gale; Kate Jolly; Sue Jowett; Mariam Maglakelidze; Tamaz Maghlakelidze; Sonia Martins; Alice Sitch; Katarina Stavrik; Raphael Stelmach; Alice Turner; Siân Williams; Rachel E Jordan Journal: NPJ Prim Care Respir Med Date: 2022-08-19 Impact factor: 3.289
Authors: Min Yi; Yanlin Cao; Yujin Zhou; Yuebin Cao; Xueqian Zheng; Jiangjun Wang; Wei Chen; Liangyu Wei; Ke Zhang Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2022-09-07
Authors: Kornél Mák; Krisztián Kapus; Gábor Tóth; Dávid Hesszenberger; Marietta Pohl; Gabriella Pusch; Éva Fejes; Gergely Fehér; Antal Tibold Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-03-07 Impact factor: 3.390