One in five physicians experienced PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Physicians experienced post-traumatic stress disorder at a rate three times higher than the general population during the COVID-19 public health emergency, with one in five exhibiting PTSD symptoms over the course of the pandemic, according to a JAMA Network Open analysis.

PTSD rates were also higher for physicians than before the pandemic, the data showed. Overall, 18.3% of physicians experienced pandemic-related PTSD.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

Female physicians were twice as likely as males to develop PTSD, with some data and anecdotal evidence suggesting this may be due to a higher reliance on social support to manage stress, which was likely significantly limited during the social distancing that took place.

Medical trainees were also much more susceptible to developing PTSD, which authors said can plausibly be explained by perceived workplace harassment by senior physicians and/or patents. The risk of PTSD may increase throughout training, with data showing higher rates among more senior residents.

"These results suggest that there may be a range of time during residency and transition to a practicing attending that physicians were more prone to PTSD," the study read.

The longer work hours by resident physicians compared with attending physicians may have led to increased exposure to traumatic events and manifested into higher rates of the condition, authors said.

The prevalence of PTSD varied greatly between specialties, with the highest rates in emergency medicine (23.4%) and family medicine (31.2%). Similarly, the pandemic produced many severe respiratory issues and related complications with primary responders often being emergency physicians, who subsequently had greater opportunities to witness patient deaths.

THE LARGER TREND

According to the study, PTSD in physicians is strongly associated with burnout, which has been shown to lead to decreased productivity, compromised patient care, an increased likelihood of medical errors, elevated staff turnover rates and a heightened risk of suicide.

Considering the current global shortage of physicians, the presence of PTSD likely exacerbates the strain on the healthcare workforce, authors said – creating a self-perpetuating cycle where the demand for healthcare services increases, leading to more physician burnout and turnover, and subsequently intensifying the demand.

An August 2023 American Medical Association survey found that 62% of emergency medicine physicians report feelings of burnout, ranking them in the top specialty affected by burnout.

Rounding out the top six most burned-out specialties are hospital medicine (59%), family medicine (58%), pediatrics (55%), obstetrics and gynecology (54%) and internal medicine (52%).

A July study released by the AMA shows physician burnout rates have dropped below 50% for the first time in four years. This is after skyrocketing to a record-high 62.8% in 2021.
 

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.