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Half of doctors have not had enough rest since the pandemic broke out, affecting both work and private life, according to a new study. At the same time, many are concerned about the large care debt left over from last year.
Eighty-five percent of doctors who are members of the Swedish Medical Association feel more work-related stress since the pandemic broke out, according to an association survey. Stock Photography.
Extra long work weeks. Crisis agreement activated. Canceled vacations. A growing debt of care. Crisis agreement reactivated.
The past year has been a very stressful one for healthcare on several fronts. And according to a survey by the Swedish Medical Association, just over half of its members say they have not recovered enough during the pandemic.
38 percent say they have worked more after the COVID-19 outbreak and 85 percent say they feel more work-related stress.
Sofia Rydgren Stale, president of the Swedish Medical Association, describes the situation as “very serious”.
– Staff should not only be strong now, but throughout 2021. If they don’t get enough rest, the risk of fatigue syndrome increases and sick leave among doctors can increase. We also know that several doctors report that they have developed symptoms similar to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder, editor’s note), says Sofia Rydgren Stale.
It also highlights that the survey was conducted before the crisis agreement was reactivated in the large regions in December.
– Therefore, there may be a risk that the situation among doctors is even worse now.
With a crisis situation agreement activated, staff receive higher compensation for extra long working hours, but according to Rydgren Stale, that’s not enough. Adequate rest should be a priority.
– It is the employer’s responsibility to work in a more structured way to ensure that staff get enough rest. This is very important.
2020 also left a large debt of care, that is, operations and other care that had to advance due to the great burden that the pandemic brought with it. According to the survey, 95 percent of responding physicians are concerned that this will be “brushed off” once the pandemic subsides.
Sofia Rydgren Stale is, however, cautiously optimistic that doctors can get the break they need if employers quickly make sure to restructure current workforce and hours.
At the same time, about 49 percent of the doctors who participated in the study say they get the rest and recovery they need. According to Rydgren Stale, this may be because they are active in parts of care that do not treat COVID-19 patients.
– Nearly 90 percent of private sector physicians responded that they had not been asked if they could consider loaning them to other employers during the pandemic to work with the treatment of corona infections. I was very surprised, because the load is very high, he says.
How are doctors in the pandemic?
Fifty-one percent of the physicians who participated in the survey responded that they do not get enough rest or recover, while 49 percent responded that they get enough rest.
Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said they had reduced opportunities to control how they withdraw compensation time as a result of the pandemic.
47 percent responded that their stress level increased during the pandemic.
4.6 percent are not concerned about care debt, while 95 percent responded that they are concerned.
2584 active members of the Swedish Medical Association have responded to the survey questions, which were answered by email. Of these 2,584, 376 work in the private sector.
The survey was conducted at the end of the month from November to December 2020.
Source: Swedish Medical Association
