Stressed GPs: a call for action

INTRODUCTION

Medicine is an immensely stressful profession and it is therefore hardly surprising that research has consistently shown that doctors all over the world experience significant levels of stress and the adverse effects of this, such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and burnout.^1,2 The picture in the UK is no different.

The recent General Medical Council (GMC) report, published in December 2018, The state of medical education and practice in the UK,³ highlighted that doctors in the UK report considerable work pressure, poor psychological wellbeing, and impaired work–life balance. A third of the 2600 doctors studied said they plan to cut down their work hours in 3 years; a fifth plan to go part-time; and a fifth plan to leave the UK to work abroad. Furthermore, 21% of doctors in the 45–54 years age group and 66% of those in the 55–64 years age group said they plan to take early retirement by 2021.

GPs included in this study highlighted some of the specific work pressures compared with other doctors, such as: working beyond rostered hours; a significant proportion of high pressure days; feeling unable to cope with workload (as a specialty, GPs do more face-to-face patient contact as core to their expected work than any other specialty, adding to the risk of burnout and exhaustion); poor satisfaction with work-life balance; and an increase in the number of referrals to manage workload pressures.³

Similar observations have been noted previously. In a systematic review of the prevalence and associated factors of burnout and psychiatric morbidity among doctors in the UK, Imo found the prevalence of psychiatric disorders to range from 17% to 52% and that GPs and consultants had the highest rates.⁴ Furthermore, Imo found that low job satisfaction, overload, …