[Evaluation of the level of stress and his indicators in physicians working in operating room]

A questionnaire (146 questions) devised by ASSPRO Scientifique (Association de prévention du risque opératoire - Association for the prevention of surgical risk) and covering the professional and personal indicators likely to be involved in stress was used to assess the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of physicians and the level of stress. The collected data were analysed using frequency distribution tables and cross tabulations.

Of the completed questionnaires returned by 1272 physicians (21.9% of the sampled physicians), 1204 questionnaires could be used. Of the total sample, 85.5% was male, between 35 and 64 years old (92.8%); they were anaesthetists (29.6%), orthopaedists (29.4%) or obstetrician gynaecologists (12.8%) attending a single workplace (67.9%) in sector 2 (64%). More than one quarter of these physicians reported feelings of exhaustion after work and one quarter of them had a fear of the workload ahead. Overall, the mean level of happiness (on a scale from 0 to 10) was quite high (6.7) and the mean stress level (graded from 0 to 10) was 5.9 (above or equal to 8 in 29.8%). The links between the stress level and the behaviour or the frame of mind at work were especially clear and significant for the following factors (stress level on a scale from 0 to 10): fear of the workload ahead (8.3), feeling of exhaustion (7.6), inability to 'switch off' (7.5) or to distance oneself from the difficult times of the day (7.3), sleeping disturbances (7.3), back pain (6.9) and headaches (6.9), which factors seem to be strong indicators of an advanced state of stress.