A new WHO report shows that over 30% of doctors and nurses in Europe suffer from depression, and one in ten reported suicidal thoughts. Excessive working hours, workplace violence, and unstable contracts worsen the mental state of healthcare workers and create risks for healthcare systems and patients, UNN writes, citing EuroNews.
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One in three doctors and nurses in Europe suffer from depression, and one in ten reported passive suicidal thoughts
At the same time, "one in three doctors and nurses in Europe suffer from depression, and their working conditions worsen their mental state," a new survey showed.
As indicated, in some cases, depression among healthcare workers is severe: one in ten doctors and nurses reported that "they had passive suicidal thoughts in the last year," which may increase the risk of similar behavior in the future.
This is an unacceptable burden on those who care for us. It shouldn't be this way
Also, in the last year, one in three doctors and nurses stated that "they experienced bullying or threats of violence at work, and 10% reported experiencing physical violence or sexual harassment," the publication writes, citing WHO data.
Meanwhile, a quarter of doctors said they "work more than 50 hours a week, and many healthcare workers – 32% of doctors and 25% of nurses – are on temporary contracts, which can cause anxiety about job security," the report says.
As noted, healthcare workers who face violence, long working hours, and shift work are more likely to suffer from depression.
Burnout and mental health problems can have serious consequences for patients. In various countries, 11% to 34% of healthcare workers said they were considering leaving their jobs – against the backdrop of an ongoing shortage of medical personnel, which is projected to reach 940,000 by 2030.
When healthcare workers leave their jobs or take sick leave to cope with psycho-emotional stress, it puts pressure on healthcare systems. This means patients have to wait longer, and medical care becomes less qualitative.
We are physically and mentally exhausted, which, unfortunately, can sometimes lead to medical errors
She cited data for France showing that 66% of medical students had a depressive episode in the last year, and 21% had suicidal thoughts, which is three times higher than in the profession as a whole.
Kluge called on healthcare systems to implement a "zero tolerance" policy for violence, reduce overtime and shift work, and provide healthcare workers with access to mental health support.
Ultimately, the mental health crisis among our healthcare workers is a health security crisis that threatens the integrity of our healthcare systems
Reference
The report includes responses from over 90,000 doctors and nurses from European Union countries, Iceland, and Norway.