Mental health impairments due to high strain in emergency physicians

Abstract

Background: Being an emergency physician is associated with high psychological and emotional stress in everyday work, which can lead to health problems. The aim of the study was, firstly, to record the burden on emergency physicians and, secondly, the associated mental health impairments. Methodology: A total of 33 emergency physicians (14 women, 19 men) aged 38.2 ± 7.2 years voluntarily participated in the study. In addition to stress factors, health and/or psychological impairments were recorded with the following standardized questionnaires: mental health with the short version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and burnout risk with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The response rate was 22%. Results: In addition to limited space in ambulances, factors of psychological stress at the communicative as well as the organizational level of the rescue service were mentioned as stress factors. The spend/reward ratio was within the normal range for all emergency physicians. Mental health impairments were reported by one third of the study participants, and a number of burnout symptoms were already present in 12 emergency physicians (37.5%). Conclusion: Due to the increased burden on emergency physicians, mental health is at risk. Preventive measures such as improving communication structures and organization can be useful in order to prevent or at least reduce health impairments.