Scientific activity and working hours of physicians in university hospitals: results from the Innsbruck and Salzburg physician lifestyle assessment (TISPLA)

Publié le 07 mars 2010 • Catégorie(s) : Conditions de travail et santé psychologique • Mot(s) clef(s) : médecins

Auteur    Bernhard Steger
Auteur    Hans Peter Colvin
Auteur    Josef Rieder
Résumé    OBJECTIVE: Controllable lifestyle has become an important factor influencing career decision-making among physicians. In academic medicine, doctors are required to combine both patient care and research in their daily routine. Insufficient release of clinicians for research during contracted work hours may lead to increased weekly working hours in academic medical centers and deter medical graduates from academia. We tested for an association between numbers of scientific publications and an increased hourly workload among physicians. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional online survey among all salaried physicians working in the university hospitals of Innsbruck and Salzburg, Austria. The main outcome measures were the self-reported total number of scientific papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals over the past two years and self-reported working hours. RESULTS: Of 590 returned surveys, 393 were fully completed and included in the study. The sample was stratified into three groups according to scientific output in the past two years: Group A, >/= 6 publications; Group B, 1-5 publications; Group C, no publications. Men were more likely than women to have a scientific publication: in Group A there was a male predominance of 75%, whereas in Group C only 48% were men (P = 0.0034). A total of 59% (n = 232) of all participants had not published a scientific article in the past two years (Group C) and worked a mean of 58.3 +/- 12 h/week. Physicians in Group B (n = 113) had published 2.4 +/- 1.4 papers and worked 62.8 +/- 12.9 h/week; those in Group A (n = 48) had published 11.5 +/- 6.6 papers and worked 73 +/- 13.1 h/week (P < 0.0001). In Group A, research accounted for only 13.3% of total work time but for 60% of overtime hours, reflecting the fact that research was mainly performed during overtime. CONCLUSION: Research activity among clinicians in academic medical centers is associated with significantly increased overtime hours. Measures need to be taken to allow medical graduates an academic career at reasonable impairment of personal lifestyle.
Publication    Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift
Volume    121
Numéro    21-22
Pages    685-689
Date    2009