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Medical care of doctors
Author(s) -
Pullen David,
Cam Donald E,
Doughty Mary V,
Lonie Cait E,
Lyle David M
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1995.tb140011.x
Subject(s) - family medicine , medicine , affect (linguistics) , medical care , anonymity , marital status , psychiatry , medical emergency , psychology , environmental health , population , communication , computer security , computer science
Aim: To describe doctors' attitudes towards their own medical care. Methods: Postal survey asking 2564 doctors about their access to, and use of, medical services. The sample, 14% of all New South Wales doctors, was randomly selected from the NSW Register of Medical Practitioners. To ensure anonymity, non‐respondents were not followed up. Results: The response rate was 44%. Only 42% of respondents had a general practitioner and most had self‐prescribed medication. Nineteen per cent reported marital disturbances, 18% emotional disorders, 3% alcohol problems and 1% drug abuse, but not many had discussed these problems with their doctor. Twenty‐six per cent had a condition warranting a medical consultation but felt inhibited about consulting a doctor. Conclusion: Many doctors lack adequate medical care. Recommendations: We recommend that doctors have their own general practitioner, avoid “corridor consultations” and not self‐prescribe drugs that affect mental function. Teaching of appropriate help‐seeking responses should be part of medical education.