Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28504070›Full record

ArticleJournal of the Royal Society of Medicine2017

Adverse effects on health and wellbeing of working as a doctor: views of the UK medical graduates of 1974 and 1977 surveyed in 2014.

Fay Smith, Michael J Goldacre, Trevor W Lambert

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The lifestyle factors of medical doctors in academic hospitals, Bloemfontein, Free State.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2024
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  17. Helping patients with common mental health problems return to work.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Firm findings on doctors' wellbeing.Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · 2017
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Fay SmithUK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.
Michael J GoldacreUK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.
Trevor W LambertUK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective To report on any adverse effects on health and wellbeing of working as a doctor, as described by senior doctors. Design Questionnaires sent in 2014 to all medical graduates of 1974 and 1977. Participants 3695 UK medical graduates. Setting United Kingdom. Main outcome measures Statements about adverse effects upon health, wellbeing and career. Results The aggregated response rate from contactable doctors was 84.6% (3695/4369). In response to the question 'Do you feel that working as a doctor has had any adverse effects on your own health or wellbeing?', 44% of doctors answered 'yes'. More GPs (47%) than hospital doctors (42%) specified that this was the case. Three-quarters of doctors who answered 'yes' cited 'stress/work-life balance/workload' as an adverse effect, and 45% mentioned illness. In response to the statement 'The NHS of today is a good employer when doctors become ill themselves', 28% of doctors agreed, 29% neither agreed nor disagreed and 43% disagreed. More women doctors (49%) than men doctors (40%) disagreed with this statement. More general practitioners (49%) disagreed than hospital doctors (37%). Conclusions Chronic stress and illness, which these doctors attributed to their work, were widely reported. Although recent changes may have alleviated some of these issues, there are lessons for the present and future if the NHS is to ensure that its medical workforce receives the support which enables current doctors to enjoy a full and satisfying career and to contribute fully to health service provision in the UK. Older doctors, in particular, need support to be able to continue successfully in their careers.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelHealth StatusAgedCareer ChoiceChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedPhysiciansRetirementState MedicineStress, PsychologicalSurveys and Questionnairescareer choiceMedical careersnon-clinicalphysiciansworkforce

Identifiers

PMID28504070
PMCPMC5438063

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.