PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF! WHY DO SURGEONS DECIDE TO IGNORE THEIR OWN HEALTH ADVICE?

Purpose:    To provide normative data on surgeons and to investigate orthopedic surgeons’ health attitudes, behavior, and quality of life.

Method:    A survey was conducted during the two weeks of annual courses in continuing education and practical surgical techniques organized by the AO Foundation in Davos, Switzerland.    An anonymous questionnaire to collect information on various elements of physical and mental health was administered to 519 course participants involved in human orthopedic and trauma care. In addition, 442 respondents also had their blood pressure measured.

Result:    Typical respondents were male, European, mid-thirties, work in a university hospital at consultant level, are married, have children, live in an urban area, work 60 hours a week and are on call seven times a month. General job satisfaction was rated at 7.4 (95% CI, 7.2 to 7.6) VAS points.    There was a trend toward above-normal values in self-rated physical health, and normal or subnormal values in mental health dimensions and component scores. While 92% agree with the statement of being in good health, 54% also agree that their job prevents them from caring for themselves properly.     A total of 40% of the surgeons are overweight, 57% do sports at least once a week, and 24% complain of lower back pain. Consultants and directors have lower physical component summary (PCS) values. Out of those who had their blood pressure measured, 239/442 (54%) had values compatible with grade 1 and higher hypertension.     Almost three-quarters (70%) find their job hinders them spending enough time with their families/partners, while 60% are concerned about their intraoperative exposure to radiation.

Conclusion:    This study provides normative SF-36 V2.0 data for the orthopedic and trauma surgeon population. Our findings are in accordance with previous investigations, suggesting that physicians are at risk of mental health problems. The results may be helpful for researchers in developing larger surveys, and in designing intervention trials. These findings also signal the need for early detection and primary and secondary prevention of health risks, as well as improving the work-life balance of those who will care for increasing numbers of patients in future.