A leading medical society has launched a welfare pack for its members after a survey showed that 23% of anaesthetists feel burnt out.
One in six of the anaesthetists asked also said they experience significant problems with depression and sleeping.
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) is working closely with the Doctors for Doctors Advisory Service, run by the British Medical Association (BMA), to provide its members with support for personal and professional issues.
Dr Mike Wee, Vice-president of the AAGBI and Chair of the Welfare Committee said: “More than two-thirds of the 169 anaesthetists who replied were consultants and they said that the three top stress factors they faced were a stressful environment (41%), lack of support (20%) and bullying (11%).”
Anaesthetists who took part in the survey talked about the difficulty of constantly changing shift patterns, poor management, lack of appreciation and workloads.
The AAGBI Welfare Resource Pack is designed to provide members with a wide range of information. The first section aims to help members cope with the challenges of work and life. The second section provides advice on how to access support, including up-to-date contact information on the AAGBI website.
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The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
