19% of healthcare professionals experience thoughts of self-harm – MDDUS
The findings are part of a survey conducted by MDDUS, which gathered responses from 2,298 healthcare professionals.
19% of healthcare professionals reported experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide during their career, with 77% stating that their work contributed to these thoughts, research from The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) found.
Burnout (71%), work-life balance struggles (65%), high workloads (64%), lack of management support (40%), and workplace bullying or harassment (36%) were identified as key workplace factors contributing to these thoughts.
Only 24% of those affected felt they had access to enough support at the time.
The findings were part of a survey conducted by MDDUS, which gathered responses from 2,298 healthcare professionals.
The survey also found that 66% of respondents had experienced or were currently experiencing burnout.
The primary causes were workload (83%), staff shortages (67%), long working hours (61%), lack of support from management (41%), negative media and public perception (35%), and finding the work unenjoyable (28%).
60% of respondents reported experiencing compassion fatigue, which led to feeling overwhelmed (75%), irritability (61%), reduced empathy (57%), pessimism (53%), difficulty sleeping (50%), and neglecting self-care (45%).
Among those affected, 62% said compassion fatigue negatively impacted their ability to communicate with patients, and 44% were concerned that it could affect their ability to work safely.
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