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Liang J, He Y, Fan L, Nuo M, Shen D, Xu J, Zheng X, Wang T, Qian H, Lei J. A Preliminary Study on the Abnormal Deaths and Work Burden of Chinese Physicians: A Mixed Method Analysis and Implications for Smart Hospital Management. Front Public Health 2022; 9:803089. [PMID: 35059382 PMCID: PMC8764251 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.803089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The population of Chinese physicians is frequently threatened by abnormal death, including death by overwork or homicide. This is not only a health problem, but also a social problem that has attracted the attention of both hospitals and the government. Objective: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of abnormal death in physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020 and to investigate the relationship between abnormal death and physician workload, in order to provide information for policy makers and request improvement technologies. Methods: A mixed research method was used. In order to ensure accuracy and completeness, a relatively comprehensive search was conducted using multiple heterogeneous data sources on the abnormal death of physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020. The collected cases were then descriptively analyzed using the work-related overwork death risk concept framework and the deductive grounded theory approach. In addition, the workload of physicians was calculated between 2007 and 2019 based on three important workload indicators. Results: Between 2007 and 2020, 207 abnormal death events of physicians on the Chinese mainland were publicly reported. Among the 207 victims, the majority (~79%) died from overwork or sudden death. The number of victims who were men was 5.5 times higher than that of women, and victims were between the ages of 31-50 years. These physicians mainly belonged to the departments of surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, and orthopedics. Further analysis of the direct causes of death in cases of overwork death showed that 51 physicians (31.1%) died from cardiogenic diseases. Additionally, the per capita workload of physicians in China increased drastically by about 42% from 2007 to 2019, far exceeding physician workloads in Europe, Asia, and Australia (number of inpatients per physician in 2017: 72 vs. 55, 50, 45). The analysis revealed that there was a strong correlation between the number of abnormal deaths of physicians in China and the number of inpatients per physician (r = 0.683, P = 0.01). Conclusion: High-intensity working conditions may be positively correlated with the number of abnormal deaths among physicians. Smart hospital technologies have the potential to alleviate this situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liang
- Information Technology Center, School of Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yunfan He
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Linye Fan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Mingfu Nuo
- Health Science Center, Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Dongxia Shen
- Editorial Department of Journal of Practical Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Information Technology Center, School of Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xu Zheng
- Center for Medical Informatics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Wang
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hui Qian
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianbo Lei
- Health Science Center, Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Center for Medical Informatics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.,School of Medical Informatics and Engineering, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
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