The 2022 AMA (NSW) Hospital Health Check and AMA QLD and ASMOFQ’s 2022 Resident Hospital Health Check reports have been released revealing similar levels of overwork and fatigue
This year, 1766 respondents responded to the NSW 2022 Hospital Health Check survey questions on rostering, overtime, leave and sick leave, unacceptable behaviour (such as bullying and discrimination), and hospital facilities, such as rest areas and safe parking. The report revealed almost half of doctors-in-training (46%) who responded indicated they made a fatigue induced error – an 8-point increase over the previous year’s survey results. The finding corresponds with an increase in the number of respondents who indicated they felt concerned for their personal safety due to fatigue associated with long hours – 56% in 2022, up from 47% the previous year.
The AMA (NSW) Hospital Health Check revealed some positive improvements – more doctors are claiming for the work they do. About a third of all doctors (33%) claim all of their overtime.
Similarly, the 2022 QLD Resident Hospital Health Check found that almost 60 per cent were concerned about making a clinical error due to fatigue caused by hours worked, up from 51 per cent last year and 48 per cent in 2020. A total of 719 junior doctors responded to the annual survey from AMA Queensland’s Committee of Doctors in Training (CDT) and ASMOFQ (Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation Queensland), which compares the junior doctor experience and staff wellbeing in public hospitals around the state.
Only 38 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their formal training, and just one in four with their bedside training, while only 39 per cent thought their hospital was looking after mental health and wellbeing adequately.
The survey did highlight some encouraging improvements, with a slight drop in the percentage of respondents experiencing bullying, discrimination and/or harassment and a rise in confidence that reported incidents are being appropriately addressed by hospitals. However, three-quarters (75 per cent) were concerned there might be negative consequences for reporting incidents, compared to 71 per cent last year and 55 per cent in 2019 – before the pandemic started.
Five in six respondents (85 per cent) were paid all the un-rostered overtime they claimed, up from 76 per cent last year, and only 17 per cent reported being advised not to claim overtime – a big improvement on 25 per cent in 2021 and 27 per cent in 2020.
You can read the full reports here:
