A Preliminary Study on the Abnormal Deaths and Work Burden of Chinese Physicians: A Mixed Method Analysis and
Jun Liang1,2,3, Yunfan He2, Linye Fan4
1Information Technology Center, School of Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Insights
Physician abnormal deaths in China, often from overwork, significantly increased with workload. High-intensity work correlates with these deaths, suggesting smart hospital technologies could help.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Medical Sociology
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Chinese physicians face significant risks of abnormal death, including overwork and homicide.
- These deaths represent critical health and social issues demanding attention from healthcare institutions and government bodies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics of abnormal physician deaths in China between 2007 and 2020.
- To investigate the correlation between physician workload and abnormal death rates.
- To inform policy decisions and technological improvements in healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Mixed research methodology employing comprehensive data searches from multiple sources.
- Descriptive analysis using the work-related overwork death risk framework and grounded theory.
- Calculation of physician workload using key indicators from 2007-2019.
Main Results:
- 207 abnormal physician deaths reported from 2007-2020, with ~79% due to overwork or sudden death.
- Male physicians aged 31-50 in surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, and orthopedics were most affected.
- Physician workload increased 42% (2007-2019), strongly correlating with abnormal deaths (r=0.683, P=0.01).
Conclusions:
- High-intensity working conditions are significantly correlated with increased abnormal physician deaths.
- Smart hospital technologies offer a potential solution to mitigate these risks.
- Urgent policy interventions are needed to address physician overwork and improve working conditions.
Abstract:
Background: The population of Chinese physicians is frequently threatened by abnormal death, including death by overwork or homicide. This is not only a health problem, but also a social problem that has attracted the attention of both hospitals and the government. Objective: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of abnormal death in physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020 and to investigate the relationship between abnormal death and physician workload, in order to provide information for policy makers and request improvement technologies. Methods: A mixed research method was used. In order to ensure accuracy and completeness, a relatively comprehensive search was conducted using multiple heterogeneous data sources on the abnormal death of physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020. The collected cases were then descriptively analyzed using the work-related overwork death risk concept framework and the deductive grounded theory approach. In addition, the workload of physicians was calculated between 2007 and 2019 based on three important workload indicators. Results: Between 2007 and 2020, 207 abnormal death events of physicians on the Chinese mainland were publicly reported. Among the 207 victims, the majority (~79%) died from overwork or sudden death. The number of victims who were men was 5.5 times higher than that of women, and victims were between the ages of 31-50 years. These physicians mainly belonged to the departments of surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, and orthopedics. Further analysis of the direct causes of death in cases of overwork death showed that 51 physicians (31.1%) died from cardiogenic diseases. Additionally, the per capita workload of physicians in China increased drastically by about 42% from 2007 to 2019, far exceeding physician workloads in Europe, Asia, and Australia (number of inpatients per physician in 2017: 72 vs. 55, 50, 45). The analysis revealed that there was a strong correlation between the number of abnormal deaths of physicians in China and the number of inpatients per physician (r = 0.683, P = 0.01). Conclusion: High-intensity working conditions may be positively correlated with the number of abnormal deaths among physicians. Smart hospital technologies have the potential to alleviate this situation.
