Harassment and Discrimination Are Leading to Burnout Among Female Doctors, Study Says

Sexual harassment, gender discrimination and verbal abuse are contributing to high rates of burnout among female physicians, according to a new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Burnout—defined earlier this year by the World Health Organization as emotional exhaustion, fatigue, cynicism and reduced productivity resulting from unmanaged workplace stress—is widespread among doctors, who often put in long, emotionally draining hours. The new study suggests that the problem is even more common among female physicians, specifically surgical residents. The researchers surveyed surgical residents about their working conditions—including whether they had experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, verbal or physical abuse or other mistreatment—at the same time they took the 2018 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination, which is taken by all surgical residents across the country. Respondents were also asked about their work hours, if they felt burnt out by their jobs and if they had experienced suicidal thoughts. About 7,400 doctors completed the researchers’ survey, and about 40% of them were women. Approximately 42% of female surgical residents reported burnout, compared to 36% of male surgical residents. Female physicians were also more likely to report having suicidal thoughts, according to the study. Tellingly, the researchers also found that increased on-the-job mistreatment almost entirely explained why more fem...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized medicine Source Type: news