Physician burnout is linked to opioid and antibiotic overprescribing, new research suggests.
Research published in British Journal of General Practice General practitioners who work long hours were found to be up to five times more likely to prescribe higher levels of medication.
Researchers at the University of Manchester’s National Institutes of Health (NIHR) Center surveyed 320 general practitioners who conducted 57 clinic visits between December 2019 and April 2020 to assess the effects of mental fatigue, work We investigated signs of burnout, such as low satisfaction with care and feeling disconnected from colleagues and patients.
They linked burnout scores with an analysis of UK data from 13,483 patients on strong opioid prescriptions and 26,744 on antibiotics during the same 4-month period. .
This was the first study to examine the link between prescribing potentially addictive medications and burnout as a practice-level question. mentioned in the release.
“Over a four-month period, we’ve seen higher prescriptions for strong opioids and antibiotics among general practitioners experiencing burnout,” Hodkinson said. It is important to prevent overprescribing because overuse of substances can harm patients in the long term.”
“That’s why there is an urgent need for policies to help reduce burnout in general practice,” he added.
Misuse and overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance. This means that many infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and gonorrhea are becoming more difficult to treat because antibiotics are less effective. world health organization.
Antibiotic resistance can lead to increased health care costs, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality.
Findings show that GPs with low job satisfaction are 30% and 10% more likely to prescribe opioids and antibiotics, respectively, and GPs with more mental fatigue are at risk of overprescribing both. 20% higher.
Away from colleagues and patients was associated with a 10% higher risk of being prescribed opioids and a 20% higher risk of being prescribed antibiotics.
The study showed that GPs located in more disadvantaged areas were highly correlated with a 2-fold higher risk of opioid overprescription and a 1.6-fold higher risk of antibiotics.
A study found that GPs who are about to quit their jobs are 30% more likely to over-prescribe opioids and 40% more likely to over-prescribe antibiotics.
“Our findings suggest that one possible way to prevent overprescribing may be to encourage practices to look after the well-being of practitioners,” Hodkinson suggested. .
“Perhaps more regular monitoring of the health of GPs through health-related surveys, wellness programs, and other measures to improve work environments will help promote safe and appropriate prescribing strategies. It may be a method.”
