%0 Journal Article
%T Which doctors and with what problems contact a specialist service for doctors? A cross sectional investigation
%A Antony I Garelick
%A Samantha R Gross
%A Irene Richardson
%A Matthias von der Tann
%A Julia Bland
%A Rob Hale
%J BMC Medicine
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1741-7015-5-26
%X A cross-sectional study including all consecutive self-referred doctors (n = 121, 50% male) presenting in 2002¨C2004 was conducted. Measures included standardised and bespoke questionnaires both self-report and clinician completed. The multi-dimensional evaluation included: demographics, CORE (CORE-OM, CORE-Workplace and CORE-A) an instrument designed to evaluate the psychological difficulties of patients referred to outpatient services, Brief Symptom Inventory to quantify caseness and formal psychiatric illness, and Maslach Burnout Inventory.The most prevalent presenting problems included depression, anxiety, interpersonal, self-esteem and work-related issues. However, only 9% of the cohort were identified as severely distressed psychiatrically using this measure. In approximately 50% of the sample, problems first presented in the preceding year. About 25% were on sick leave at the time of consultation, while 50% took little or no leave in the prior 12 months. A total of 42% were considered to be at some risk of suicide, with more than 25% considered to have a moderate to severe risk. There were no significant gender differences in type of morbidity, severity or days off sick.Doctors displayed high levels of distress as reflected in the significant proportion of those who were at some risk of suicide; however, low rates of severe psychiatric illness were detected. These findings suggest that MedNet clients represent both ends of the spectrum of severity, enabling early clinical engagement for a significant proportion of cases that is of importance both in terms of personal health and protecting patient care, and providing a timely intervention for those who are at risk, a group for whom rapid intervention services are in need and an area that requires further investigation in the UK.The prevalence of psychological morbidity in practicing doctors has been estimated at 25% [1,2]. As a professional group, doctors are highly stressed [3-5], which is a situation that has
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/5/26