Analysis of physicians work ability, in the city of Maringá, Brazil

Abstract

Background: Occupational stress might impair the work ability of physicians, leading to medical errors and illness. Objectives: To describe the sociodemographic and occupational profile of physicians, calculate the work ability index (WAI) and correlate it to sociodemographic factors, occupational characteristics and lifestyle. Method: Cross-sectional study conducted with a random sample of 408 physicians from Maringa, Parana, Brazil, stratified per sex. We administered a self-report questionnaire with the following four sections: sociodemographic profile, occupational characteristics, lifestyle, and work ability. Results: Most participants were male (61.27%), young (20 to 40 years old—57.35%) and married (61.76%). While participants had usually completed a medical residency program (50.74%) most had worked less than 10 years in the profession (47.06%). About 44.61% of the sample worked 50 to 120 hours / week, 41.18% had formal employment relationship registered in their work card, and 53.43% slept less than six hours/day. The mean WAI was 44, which characterizes excellent work ability. Reduced WAI was associated with older age, longer length in the profession, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and poorer mental resources to cope with the job demands. Only 1.72% of the participants stated that, based on their current state of health, continuing in the job in two years’ time would be unlikely. Conclusion: Their excellent work ability notwithstanding, the occupational characteristics and lifestyle of physicians call for interventions to prevent impairments of their professionals performance.