Why is stress an important issue for doctors?
Aug 17th 2009
Doctors in Australia frequently deal with stressed patients, and patients usually look to their doctor for help with stress.
Overseas studies estimate that up to 40% of patients presenting to doctors are psychologically distressed. 50-70% of general practice consultations feature stress related issues. Medical practitioners, especially doctors are the first point of contact for most people who are psychologically distressed.
In Australia a study initiated by the Commonwealth Department of Veteran’s Affairs and conducted by the BEACH project to assess the prevalence of stress and anxiety issues in GP patients assessed 3, 684 patient encounters by 100 GPs and found that 40% of respondents (ie 1, 470 patients) reported experiencing a period of anxiety or stress lasting 2 weeks or more in the previous 12 months. Of this group, 75% sought help from professionals, 58% from their doctor. Similar results were found in a study of Australian patients by Cohen et al clearly indicating the importance of the doctor in dealing with this widespread problem.
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