Mental Health of General Practitioners in Emergency Wards

Aims: General practitioners have an essential role in patient care and are exposed to high levels of job stress. General practitioners’ mental health has effects on their functional abilities and medical managements. This study was carried out to evaluate the mental health of general practitioners in emergency wards in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all of General practitioners in emergency wards (n=87) were studied. The survey instruments includedtwo questionnaires: 1-demographic variables and 2- General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and Chi square, Fisher exact and Mann-Whitney statistical tests. Findings: The mean age of general practitioners was 36.11±5.67 years; 89.7% of them were married; 60.3% were male. 41% of the total general practitioners had mental health problems. The mean score of GHQ was 22.56±9.24. There were significant relationships between mental health and each age, employment situation, and number of children (p < 0.05). Older physicians had better mental health than the younger ones. There were significant relationships between employment situation and anxiety (p=0.017) and somatic symptom (p=0.03). There were no significant relationships between mental health and each sex and marital status (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The majority of employed general practitioners in emergency rooms do not have proper mental health statuses.