Depression high among surgeons

Hyderabad: Burnout and depression are highest amongst surgeons according to the National Physician Burnout and Depression Report of 2018. Surgeons in critical care and neurology have the highest burnout at 48 per cent while those in general surgery were found to suffer from burnout at 43 per cent.

The report has found that orthopaedic surgeons suffered from burnout at 34 per cent and plastic surgeons at 23 per cent. The report is based on a survey and interviews in hospitals with doctors who were pulled up for mistakes. It was found that longer working hours led to critical mistakes due to exhaustion and burnout.

Dr Dilip S. Gode, President of the Association of Surgeons of India, explained, “The talk of burnout and exhaustion is recent in surgery circles. Surgeons have been trained and can work for 48 hours at a stretch. But the problem that is now emerging at the hospital level is that the patient’s relatives want the senior surgeons to be around all the time and are not willing to trust their assistants. The doctors are accused of negligence causing a lot of mental trauma to surgeons. These insults, violent behaviours and cases being put up against them are adding more to the trauma than the alleged mistakes that are being pointed out.”

The training in Indian medical government colleges is very strenuous and most doctors have to go through a rigorous regime of working for 48 hours at a stretch where, often, they cannot sleep. This has been inculcated in their system. But, of late, the ASI has also been getting feedback of burnout and depression. This is largely due to the developing fear psychosis that there can be violent attacks or damage to property in case of mistakes. It is this fear which often takes a toll on the physical health of surgeons.

The Journal of International Society of Arthroscopy, where the burnout report has been published, advocates that there is a need to maintain working hours for surgeons just like for airline pilots, truck drivers and taxi drivers. At the same time, various forums of doctors are also asking young surgeons to take care of their health as overworking and sleeplessness can increase the scope for mistakes. Surgeons are being advised to take care of their health and regulate the number of patients and surgeries carried out by them.

While in public health sector, there is pressure of patients, in the private sector there is pressure of targets for surgeons and that often forces them to over work, explained experts. It is important for government and private hospital managements to create a proper guideline on the number of surgeries and ensure that doctors are not overworked.