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Survey links burnout, surgical errors

Surgeons who are stressed are more likely to make medical errors, according to an Annals of Surgery study.

Four in 10 surgeons surveyed said they were burned out, as measured by questions about emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment and attitudes toward patients. Nine percent of all surveyed said they had made a serious error in the previous three months. Each one-point increase on a scale measuring burnout was associated with a 5% higher chance of reporting an error. The national survey of 7,905 surgeons, published online Nov. 19, was commissioned in June 2008 by the American College of Surgeons. (http://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/abstract/publishahead/99663)

Researchers said reducing surgeons' work hours would not improve safety if the mental health effects of burnout go unaddressed.

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Liability insurer boosts physician wellness programs

A national medical liability insurance carrier has contributed more than $300,000 this year to various physician wellness programs.

ProMutual Group said the programs assist physicians in identifying and dealing with problems that can affect personal and professional health, including litigation issues, substance abuse, depression and stress. ProMutual donated to programs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

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Clinical trial recruitment goes online

A new recruitment registry has been established by the National Institutes of Health to match volunteers with clinical trials. ResearchMatch will connect individuals in the U.S. with researchers approved to recruit volunteers through the system.

"ResearchMatch offers a convenient solution to the complex, competitive and often costly participant recruitment system," said Gordon Bernard, MD, principal investigator of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. The university is hosting the registry (www.researchmatch.org).

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Grant supports study of asthma in inner-city children

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed a contract to continue studying asthma in children living in lower-income, inner-city environments.

The five-year, $56 million award will support the Inner-City Asthma Consortium, a nationwide clinical trials network.

The print version of this content appeared in the Dec 14, 2009 issue of American Medical News.

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