A survey conducted on January 26th, 2022, by medical company Medworld (a partner of the Medworld Institute) confirms that 95% of Australasian doctors believe we are in a workforce emergency.
There are around 125,000 doctors in Australasia. Medworld contacted their database of 20,000. Responses received totaled a 10% segment of the total doctor market.
“Before COVID-19, doctors reported a burnout rate of over 50%, but this survey shows that it has now moved to 60%. What shocked us was the number of doctors claiming to be working beyond their scope; this was 80%,” said Dr Sam Hazledine, Medworld Institute CEO and Founder.
Hazledine has been at the forefront of doctor wellbeing for a while, having had the Declaration of Geneva amended in 2017 to include the health and wellbeing of the doctor. “With 90% of the workforce claiming there is a workforce emergency, and 80% claiming to be working beyond their scope while the minister little claims that hospitals are operating under capacity, it demonstrates that the minister is completely disconnected from the reality is on the frontline. While he might believe what he's saying, there in itself is a problem because it means that the appropriate resources won't be sent to the right place.” - I wonder if we change this to be more about impending issues as we have surveyed AUS who are in a worse situation.
This survey shows that the frontline is hurting. They were hurting pre-covid and even more so now. Medworld is working on a technology platform to help break down the silos and enable effective collaboration within the profession, but more needs to be done. Meanwhile, the Medworld Institute will be created to conduct further research.
“When doctors work beyond their scope, it isn’t just them who are hurting. It also affects their patients and our communities. We conducted this survey in the hope of giving the government and the general public a real snapshot into what is happening in our healthcare system due to COVID-19.”
Among the findings were:
- Over 50% of respondents said they were experiencing symptoms of burnout pre-covid
- 60% say they are experiencing burnout now as a result of COVID-19
- 98% of doctors say that COVID-19 has made their lives more challenging
- 80% of doctors are being asked to complete jobs beyond their scope of expertise
- 95% of doctors believe that we are in a workforce emergency
- There are around 125,000 doctors in Australasia. Medworld reached out to a database of 20,000. Responses received totaled a 10% segment of the total doctor market.
ENDS
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