Seven days in medicine: 30 Oct to 5 Nov 2019
BMJ 2019; 367 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6344 (Published 07 November 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;367:l6344
Burnout
Most UK doctors work when sick, survey suggests
The Medical Protection Society found that 72% of nearly 300 UK doctors polled said that they always came into work even when feeling too unwell, fatigued, or stressed to be productive. The society said that the trend was driven by chronic workload pressures but also by a “deeply entrenched” stigma in the medical profession that doctors should not raise their own health concerns. Its president, Jane Dacre, called for “collective steps” to counteract “superdoctor syndrome” to reduce the risk of burnout, mental health issues, and potentially harmful errors.
Heart failure
Admissions rise by a third, analysis shows
The number of hospital admissions in England due to heart failure has risen by a third in the past five years, the British Heart Foundation found. Its analysis showed that heart failure admissions had risen from 65 025 in 2013-14 to 86 474 in 2018-19, a 33% increase. In the same period, the charity noted, all other hospital admissions rose by 11%. It said that better detection, diagnosis, and treatment of heart failure were urgently needed.
Clinical targets
Testing new standards needs more time, say emergency doctors
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine welcomed a progress report from NHS England on pilot schemes for new waiting time standards,1 but it said that it was too early to draw conclusions. Its president, Katherine Henderson, said, “What is presented in the report are initial …
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