Survey exposes excessive working hours and burn-out risk for health workers

A new survey of over 4000 of its members by the Marburger Bund doctors' union reveals the immense pressure faced by hospital doctors. More than half (59%) report frequent mental stress and more than two thirds (69%) complain that they don't have enough time to treat patients. Nearly three quarters (72%) feel that their own health is being affected by working time arrangements that lead to disturbed sleep patterns and regular tiredness. Inadequate staffing means that many work excessive hours with more than two-thirds working on average more than the 48-hour limit set by working time

Research financed by the European Trade Union Institute has been able, for the first time, to estimate the number of cases of, and deaths from, depression and cardiovascular disease that can be directly attributed to exposure to psychosocial risks at work. The study covers 35 European countries. This new research focused on five psychosocial risks at work: job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours, and bullying. While there were significant common findings across Europe, there was some variation between countries: in France, for example, 19% of depression cases