Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Occupational stress hits oncology registrars

An article "Occupational stress in palliative medicine, medical oncology and clinical oncology specialist registrars " in Clinical Medicine, June 2007, the RCP journal ( only available to members) may be of interest to oncology registrars.


401 oncology registrars in the UK were surveyed with a questionnaire and a test for short-term changes in mental health, 63% replied :
  • 102 with levels of psychological distress
  • 44 had scores indicating depression
  • 15 expressed suicidal ideas.

The main reasons cited include being over-stretched, keeping up-to-date with knowledge, fear of making mistakes, lack of senior support/supervision and conflict between work and family commitment.

The survey suggested a change in culture is needed to help doctors discuss difficulties without fear of affecting career prospect, mentorship from a different specialty, regular meetings for discussingg team-related issues and support from senior doctors might be helpful in addressing these problems. Read the press release.

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