Anxiety among newly-qualified doctors: An eight-year analysis

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Extract from Abstract:

Background:
Stressed and anxious doctors are more likely to make errors, take time off work and to leave medicine. This study aims to quantify the prevalence of anxiety among newly-qualified Foundation Year 1 doctors (FY1s), identify high risk groups and determine workplace factors associated with anxiety.

Methods:
We investigated self-reported anxiety among eight cohorts of FY1s between 2010 and 2017. Participants completed an online survey after their first week of work (n = 11,839), with a follow-up survey later in the year (n = 3502). Surveys included questions about the workplace and a validated screening tool for pathological anxiety.

Results:
Overall, a large proportion of doctors screened positive for pathological anxiety at the start of their FY1 year (27.3%) and after 4 months of work (21.0%)......

Conclusion:
We found a growing burden of anxiety among FY1s associated with a perceived lack of support. We hope our findings will inform interventions to support newly-qualified doctors as they transition into the workplace.

Link to article online:https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2019.1652259