Frequency of anxiety among physicians working in emergency departments and other clinics in turkey: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objective: Physicians are exposed to various emotional and physical stressors in their working environment. Emergency departments are particularly stressful working environments. This study aimed to determine the frequency of anxiety among emergency physicians (EP) and other medical specialists. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included voluntarily participated physicians working in hospitals in Turkey. Physicians were grouped based on their Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores and their characteristics were compared. The frequency of anxiety and other characteristics of the physicians were investigated. Results: A total of 508 medical specialists (male 71.9%; mean age 37.5±7.2 years) included in the analysis, 97 (19,1%) were EP and 411 (80.9%) were from other medical specialties. The mean Beck Anxiety Inventory Score of the specialists from other clinics was 9.6±7.7 points. The frequencies of moderate, and severe anxiety among medical specialists were 13.8%, and 2.8%, respectively. The overall frequency of moderate-severe anxiety was 16.5%; which was higher in emergency physicians than in other clinical specialists (33% and 12.7%, respectively). The mean Beck Anxiety Inventory scores of EP and other medical specialists were found as 13±9.3 and 8.7±7.0, respectively (p<0.001). Anxiety score showed a negative correlation with age and duration of working as a specialist.Among emergency physicians, the rates of smoking (p=0.008), alcohol consumption (p=0.003) and anxiety scores were higher and the duration of working as a specialist was shorter (p<0.001). Conclusions: Frequency of anxiety is higher among physicians. Considering medical specialties, higher level of anxiety determined in the emergency physicians might be a guide for investigation of working conditions in this field and for development of protective and preventive policies. © Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine.