International Update
Doctors suffering “silent desperation”, says WMA leader
Governments are being urged by the President of the World Medical Association (WMA) to pay more attention to stress and burnout in the medical profession.
Canadian dermatologist Dr Dana Hanson, addressing the Global Forum of Health Leaders conference in Taipei in Taiwan, said that healthy doctors equalled longer professional lives, a more sustainable workforce, greater satisfaction and safer care for patients.
He called on doctors to remove the stigma surrounding burnout, quoting surveys in Canada and elsewhere, which suggested that 45% of physicians are in an advanced state of burnout, with an even higher figure in developing countries.
Blaming the global shortage of doctors for the chronic overworking conditions and stress, he said that more demands and an increasing lack of control were fostering a silent desperation in the medical profession, which was manifesting itself in depression and placing women at a greater risk of suicide.
He added that doctors should not have to choose between saving themselves and serving their patients. Many physicians who were outwardly patient and enthusiastic were actually burning out and finding their work less rewarding. He said it was time the profession’s leaders and governments recognised these facts and took action to support physicians, through national leadership, raising awareness of the problems and reducing the stigma of burnout and education.
Schizophrenia study finds striking similarities across 37 countries
An international study of more than 17,000 people with schizophrenia, covering six regions, has found striking similarities in symptoms, medication, employment and sexual problems.
The research, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in November, provides an interesting international profile of schizophrenia, which is estimated to affect one in every 250 people at some point in their lives.
Key findings of the Worldwide-Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (W-SOHO) survey included:
- Lack of effectiveness was cited as the key reason for changing medication across all the regions surveyed.
- Over 34% of patients had been admitted to an inpatient facility because of their schizophrenia in the last six months (except for Latin America).
- Sexual dysfunction averaged 61.5% (except East Asia).
- Fewer than 26% of the patients had ever attempted suicide.
- Overall, 19% were in paid employment.
- Around 32.1% were in a relationship. People in East Asia were much more likely to be in a relationship.
- Of the study participants, 26% were taking more than one antipsychotic and 74% were taking other prescribed drugs at the same time.
- Around 69% were living in dependent housing.
Author of the study Dr Jamie Karagianis said: “The W-SOHO was a three-year observational study designed to assess costs and outcomes in outpatients using antipsychotics. It has enabled us to build up a valuable international picture of the demographics and treatment of schizophrenia across ten European countries and 27 countries from East Asia, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East.
“Minimal selection criteria were applied by the 1,563 clinicians who took part to ensure that the patients were representative of those receiving treatment in actual clinical practice settings across the world. Baseline data on the 17,384 patients – who were all starting or changing their antipsychotic medication – showed that they had an average age of 38 and 57% were male. Median duration of their illness was seven years and one in ten were receiving antipsychotic medication for the first time.”
- Source: The International Journal of Clinical Practice.
RTAs a public health problem, says WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published the first broad assessment of the road safety situation in 178 countries. Using data from a standardised survey, the results showed that road traffic injuries are an important public health problem, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. WHO publications are available for free download, in multiple languages, from the WHO Library database.
Eat like an Egyptian
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that atherosclerosis is not a modern disease. CT scans of 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies have revealed evidence of artery hardening. Sixteen of the mummies scanned had identifiable arteries and hearts, nine of which had calcified arteries, with some showing hardening in as many as six arteries. The researchers argue that atherosclerosis was quite common in ancient Egyptians of a high socioeconomic status.