Prevalance of stress among international post-graduate doctors at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

Background: The stress which affects the doctors is receiving increased attention. Researchers have shown that hospital doctors are under high levels of stress from a number of sources. This is of importance because it is known that the quality of care that the physicians give is directly related to their own health. Objectives: To study the prevalence of stress among international postgraduate doctors at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur. Methodology: Post-graduate doctors completed General Health Questionnaires (GHQ-28) which covered Somatic Symptoms, Anxiety and Insomnia, Social Dysfunction and Severe Depression. The results were converted into a percentage scale by summing the scores of the individual items; in this overall scale, higher scores indicated increased stress. A total of 50 international doctors from different clinical and non-clinical medical subspecialties took part in the study. Results: The prevalence of stress among the international doctors was 54% (95% CI: 44-63%). The highest levels of stress were reported for "Anxiety and Insomnia" and the lowest level was reported for "Severe Depression". Furthermore, the individual questions analysis revealed the highest scores for three questions: "felt constantly under strain", "been feeling well and in good health" and "been managing to keep yourself busy and occupied". Conclusions: The results should be interpreted with caution, as the study is based on a small sample. However, it does provide a useful first insight into stress and dissatisfaction, which have important implications for the wellbeing of international post-graduate doctors.