Physician Task Load: Strategies to Mitigate Stress Among Doctors

Abstract

Background: Work schedules and conditions have a significant impact on the physical, mental, and social well-being of physicians. The purpose of this study is to determine the workload of physicians working in various departments of a tertiary healthcare centre, as well as the link between physician job load and specialty.

Methods: This Cross-Sectional study was carried out from October 2020 to November 2020 at KRL Hospital Islamabad. Hospital records were used to gather information about the number of patients. Four parameters, such as mental demand, physical demand, time and effort demands were evaluated.

Results: Gynecology had the highest patient load (23 percent), followed by pediatrics (21%) and surgery (14 %). Physically and mentally taxing specialties were urology and maxillofacial surgery. Psychiatry had the lowest demands in terms of mental, physical, time, and effort.

Conclusion: Our study shows that Urology and Internal Medicine are more time-consuming and stressful for the physician to perform. Physicians need better working conditions and less work, so we should focus on stress management and reduction for them.