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Updated: Nov 23, 2025
Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Physician deaths from COVID-19 have been lower than expected
1Clinical Excellence Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Insights
US physician deaths from COVID-19 were lower than expected. This suggests that protective measures, like personal protective equipment, may have effectively reduced occupational risk for doctors during the pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Over 100 US physicians have died from COVID-19.
- Physicians represent approximately 0.33% of the US population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if US physicians face an elevated risk of COVID-19-related mortality.
- To evaluate occupational exposure risks for physicians during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Physician COVID-19 deaths were identified via Medscape In Memoriam and internet searches.
- Physician death rates were compared against expected rates in the general US population.
Main Results:
- As of October 7, 2020, 108 US physicians had died from COVID-19.
- Observed physician deaths were 16% of the 693 expected deaths based on general population rates.
- Most deaths occurred in physicians over 60, with many retired from clinical practice.
Conclusions:
- Physician COVID-19 mortality rates were significantly lower than anticipated.
- Effective use of personal protective equipment is a likely factor in the reduced mortality observed among physicians.
Background:
More than 100 US physicians have died from COVID-19. I considered the number of US physician deaths in comparison to the expected COVID death rate in the general population.
Aims:
To estimate the whether US physicians are at increased risk of death from COVID-19 due to occupational exposures.
Methods:
COVID-related physician deaths were identified through searches using Medscape In Memoriam, and multiple internet searches using Google and Facebook. An obituary or death notice was obtained in all but one case. Death rates among physicians were compared to the expected rate based on COVID deaths in the US population.
Results:
Up to 7 October 2020, there were 108 deaths among US physicians. Physicians make up about 0.33% of the US population. By 1 October 2020, there were 210 000 COVID deaths in the US population with 693 expected physician deaths. Observed deaths were 16% of expected. Seventy-five per cent of the deaths occurred among physicians older than age 60 and about half appeared to be among those retired from clinical practice.
Conclusions:
Observed physician deaths were significantly below expected based on deaths the general population. Prudent use of personal protective equipment may explain the lower-than-expected death rates.
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