Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31964674›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2020

Working hours, common mental disorder and suicidal ideation among junior doctors in Australia: a cross-sectional survey.

Katherine Petrie, Joanna Crawford, Anthony D LaMontagne, Allison Milner, Jessica Dean, Benjamin G Veness, Helen Christensen, Samuel B Harvey

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
15.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Katherine PetrieBlack Dog Institute, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6285-8518
Joanna CrawfordBlack Dog Institute, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Anthony D LaMontagneSchool of Health & Social Development, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5811-5906
Allison MilnerThe McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health & Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Jessica DeanSt Vincents Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Benjamin G VenessMental and Addiction Health, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8849-2892
Helen ChristensenBlack Dog Institute, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Samuel B HarveyBlack Dog Institute, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia s.harvey@unsw.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0001-9580-3743
Black Dog Institute · AUAlfred Health · AUDeakin University · AUSt Vincent's Hospital Melbourne · AUThe University of Melbourne · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveDespite concern regarding high rates of mental illness and suicide amongst the medical profession, the link between working hours and doctors' mental health remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between average weekly working hours and junior doctors' (JDs') mental health in Australia. DESIGN AND

participantsA randomly selected sample of 42 942 Australian doctors were invited to take part in an anonymous Beyondblue National Mental Health Survey in 2013, of whom 12 252 doctors provided valid data (response rate approximately 27%). The sample of interest comprised 2706 full-time graduate medical trainees in various specialties, at either intern, prevocational or vocational training stage. Consultants and retired doctors were excluded. OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcomes of interest were caseness of common mental disorder (CMD) (assessed using a cut-off of 4 as a threshold on total General Health Questionnaire-28 score), presence of suicidal ideation (SI) (assessed with a single item) and average weekly working hours. Logistic regression modelling was used to account for the impact of age, gender, stage of training, location of work, specialty, marital status and whether JDs had trained outside Australia.

resultsJDs reported working an average of 50.1 hours per week (SD=13.4). JDs who worked over 55 hours a week were more than twice as likely to report CMD (adjusted OR=2.05; 95% CI 1.62 to 2.59, p<0.001) and SI (adjusted OR=2.00; 95% CI 1.42 to 2.81, p<0.001) compared to those working 40-44 hours per week.

conclusionsOur results show that around one in four JDs are currently working hours that are associated with a doubling of their risk of common mental health problems and SI. These findings suggest that management of working hours represents an important focus for workplaces to improve the mental health of medical trainees.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelMental HealthSuicidal IdeationAdultAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMedical Staff, HospitalPsychotic DisordersRetrospective StudiesSurveys and QuestionnairesWorkloaddoctorsmental disordermental healthphysicianssuicide

Identifiers

PMID31964674
PMCPMC7045753
OpenAlexW3001262482

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.