Due to an increasing demand for patient care and the need to
generate more money, many academic physicians have to compromise
their time spent in research and teaching, according to a study
released this month in Academic Medicine.
“Because doctors in academia are having to sacrifice time
for teaching and research in order to see more patients, they are
becoming increasingly stressed and depressed,” said the
report’s lead author, Dr. Barbara Schindler, vice dean for
educational and academic affairs and a professor of psychiatry at
Drexel University’s College of Medicine.
According to the survey, which evaluated 1,951 responses from
basic science faculty and academic physicians across four American
medical schools, nearly 20 percent had significant levels of
depressive symptoms, with higher levels in younger faculty. Greater
levels of work strain, depression and anxiety were associated with
financial uncertainty.
The study revealed that 86.5 percent of faculty never seek
professional help for combating stress.
“We need to change the social stigma attached to seeking
professional help,” said Dr. LuAnn Wilkerson, dean of the
UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, who also participated in the
study.
Instead of seeking therapy, the report reveals that the faculty
choose to eat healthy meals, exercise and get a sufficient amount
of sleep. But 32.2 percent of the respondents never exercise or
only exercise up to several times a month. Only 23.2 percent
reported getting adequate amounts of sleep daily. Also, 29 percent
were said to withdraw emotionally from family and friends up to
several times a month.
“We must find ways to support and encourage faculty in
their personal and professional development through mentoring and
faculty development programs,” Schindler said. “Future
doctors need encouragement too.
“Medical students should be exposed to high-quality,
enthusiastic educators who have enough time to teach and enough
contact to serve as role models,” she said.
But doctors’ availability has been compromised by patient
demands, according to the study.
“One way of possibly decreasing the demand for patient
care is funding health prevention efforts, but that is a challenge
in the current health care system,” said Wilkerson.
She cited the closing of three out of four New York City centers
that helped coach diabetics as an example of these challenges.
However, some faculty and physicians may not be as affected by
the reported increased stress and patient care demands as those in
other departments.
“It depends on what position and department you’re
in. Some specialties are understaffed so scientists are pressured
to see more patients instead of spending time on their
research,” said Dr. Harley Kornblum, an associate professor
at UCLA and physician at the Children’s Health Center.
A majority of the faculty reported high levels of life
satisfaction and being married seemed to alleviate some of the
negative effects of the academic environment. In the study, 90
percent of the respondents reported a stable or committed
relationship. Those who were not married had significantly more
depressive symptoms than married respondents, as well as lower job
and life satisfaction.