24% of healthcare workers claim to have depression or anxiety

He 24% of Spanish doctors and nurses claims to have symptoms compatible with depression and the same percentage of professionals refer anxiety symptomsas revealed by a report of the World Health Organization for Europe (WHO/Europe) published on World Mental Health Day. The health agency has compiled data from more than 90,000 doctors and nurses of the 27 countries of the European Union, plus Iceland and Norway (EU 27+2), related to their mental well-being and work context in the last year. In the case of Spainhave answered the survey 7,729 doctors (67% women) and 5,518 nurses (84% women).

As the results show at the national level, the prevalence of anxiety and depression between doctors (25% and 24%, respectively) and nurses (24% and 23%) is similar. They are also similar data when compared to the EU 27+2 average for both professions, where one in three reports symptoms of depression and one in four, anxiety. Regarding other problems of mental health analyzed, the 4% of doctors and the 3% of nurses Spaniards manifest symptoms of alcohol dependence. And 14% of physicians and 12% of national nurses admit to having “passive” thoughts of suicide or self-harmcompared to one in ten European professionals.

The situations they face in the work environment are a risk factor

WHO/Europe report studies what are the risk factors that healthcare workers most frequently face in their work environment and that could interfere with your mental health status. The percentage of Spanish healthcare workers surveyed who claim to feel general well-being barely reaches half (51%)a fact that contrasts with that of rest of workerswhich amounts to 83% averagein a study on working conditions in Europe in 2021, prepared by Eurofund. This statistic is, without a doubt, a alarm signal about the situation of Spanish doctors and nurses regarding your own mental health. The incidence of these problems is too significant, compared both with other countries and, above all, with other professions.

One of the most worrying is the violencewith a 84% of Spaniards who claim to have been exposed to at least one type of violence in their workplace. Specifically, 36% report ‘bullying’‘, 76% have had to face the anger of patients and family members, 23% physical violence, 9% to sexual harassment and 50% to violent threats. The average of the 27+2 group indicates that one in three doctors and nurses experienced harassment or violent threats at work last year, while 10% experienced physical violence and/or sexual harassment.

Another risk factor that the report emphasizes is number of hours of work carried out by professionals and the type of employment contract they have. The WHO/Europe have warned that there is a direct correlation between the number of working hours and the prevalence of depression and anxiety. In the case of Spanish healthcare, 21% point out that they face long working hours and 43% frequent night shifts. Furthermore, 33% say they have temporary contracts. In the European context, one in four doctors works more than 50 hours per week. Meanwhile, almost a third (32%) of doctors and a quarter (25%) of nursing staff are on temporary contractswhich is closely linked to a greater job security anxiety.

This problem also has effects on the rest of the population.

The WHO/Europe has warned that unsafe working conditions and without support they are linked to stress, anxiety and depression among health personnel, a situation that not only affects professionals, but also It also has negative consequences for patients and the general population.. In this sense, up to 40% of European doctors and nurses with symptoms of depression reported having taken sick leave in the past year, and between 11 and 34% said they were considering leaving their job.

In Spain, 8.8% of doctors and 10.9% of nurses consider leaving the professionin addition to the fact that 7.3% of doctors and 11% of nursing staff have been on leave due to mental health problems. The international health agency has shown a special concern about these figuressince he assures that “European countries face a healthcare personnel crisis“. According to WHO/Europe representatives, despite having more health workers than ever, health systems are having difficulty meeting the growing demand for health care. In fact, they estimate that there will be a shortage of 940,000 health workers by 2030 on the continent.

What can be done to remedy it

In line with the findings of the study and with the aim of preventing mental health problems and protect and promote adequate mental health, the report proposes seven lines of action. Thus, it encourages applying an approach of zero tolerance for harassmentharassment and other forms of violence in the workplace; improve predictability and flexibility around shift work and provide workers with greater control over scheduling; manage overtime according to needs and workers’ rights, while workplace norms and culture are rethought.

Along with this, he has opted to work on managing the excessive workload improving staffing and optimizing workflows; develop the capacity of health leaders and managers to promote and protect mental health and staff well-being; make available to all workers mental health support and substance use, and facilitate early intervention; and prioritize regular mental health monitoring and reporting and working conditions.

He Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padillaparticipated in the press conference in which the results of the report were presented to present the work being carried out by the Ministry of Health to alleviate the problems faced by Spanish healthcare workers. Padilla has made reference to the current work of the Ministry to reduce weekly working hours to 45put an end to 24-hour shifts, reduce temporary employment and establish that health personnel be considered as public authorities against attacks and violence; all of this in reference to the Framework Statute that is under negotiation. Likewise, the Secretary of State has highlighted the approval of the National Mental Health Action Plan and the financing aimed at preventing and support the mental health of healthcare workers in the autonomous communities.