Confidentiality and physicians' health. A cross-sectional study of University Hospital Physicians in four European cities (the HOUPE-study)

Journal of Occupational Health
Lise Tevik LøvsethOlav Morten Linaker

Abstract

To investigate how the subjective burden of confidentiality can act as a stressor that affects physicians' psychological health and wellbeing. Cross-sectional survey data from a sample of university hospital physicians (N=1,956) in four European countries (Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Italy) who participated in the HOUPE (Health and Organization among University hospital Physicians in Europe) study was analysed. About 25% of the participants reported that confidentiality impedes emotional support to a considerable degree. An index of confidentiality as a barrier to seeking support (ICBS) had a negative effect on physicians' health and wellbeing. The effect of ICBS was confirmed and slightly increased when controlled for variables known to buffer the adverse mental and physical effects of stress. Though the physicians in Iceland and in Norway found confidentiality the most challenging, it was the physicians in Italy and Sweden who showed a significant effect of ICBS on their health and wellbeing. Whether confidentiality is a stressor in its own right or an amplifier of stressful situations in medical practice should be further investigated to gain a better understanding of the effect of confidentiality on physicians' coping, stre...Continue Reading

References

Jul 1, 1992·Journal of General Internal Medicine·J F ChristensenP M Dunn
Apr 1, 1992·Journal of Affective Disorders·M W Koeter
Nov 1, 1991·Archives of Internal Medicine·J D McCue, C L Sachs
Aug 1, 1986·Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology·P A Thoits
Jul 1, 1973·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·R H Lauer
Feb 1, 1997·Journal of Medical Ethics·R Gillon
Nov 30, 2000·Psychological Medicine·T FurmarkM Fredrikson
Jan 6, 2001·Social Science & Medicine·B B Arnetz
Jul 31, 2001·Family Practice·C J MorrisM C Weiss
Feb 9, 2002·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·S K Pope, M Sowers
May 6, 2003·Clinical Psychology Review·Rachel Sabin-Farrell, Graham Turpin
Jul 26, 2003·BMJ : British Medical Journal·Ellen M RedinbaughRobert M Arnold
Sep 11, 2003·The Medical Journal of Australia·Sandra K Davidson, Peter L Schattner
Apr 1, 1961·Journal of Consulting Psychology·D MARLOWE, D P CROWNE
Jan 16, 2004·Social Science & Medicine·Sofia KälvemarkBengt Arnetz
Mar 11, 2004·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Gordon DuValMarion Danis
Jul 1, 2004·Annals of Emergency Medicine·Michael Cawdery, Michael D Burg
Mar 9, 2005·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·C RenziP Puddu
Oct 27, 2005·Journal of Occupational Health Psychology·Caron J WhaleyToby D Wall
May 10, 2006·Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners·Alice RunningVictoria Mercer
Apr 25, 2007·Social Science & Medicine·Jean Elizabeth Wallace, Jane Lemaire
Nov 8, 2007·Evaluation & the Health Professions·Jonathan B VanGeestVerna L Welch
Feb 7, 2008·Bioethics·Samuli I SaarniRitva Halila
Apr 1, 2008·Journal of Medical Ethics·S I SaarniJ Vänskä
Jul 2, 2008·Journal of Medical Ethics·R Førde, O G Aasland
Jul 10, 2008·The British Journal of General Practice : the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·Margaret KayJenny Doust
Sep 17, 2008·The American Psychologist·Heejung S KimShelley E Taylor
Feb 25, 2009·Journal of Health Psychology·Nadine NajjarCaroline Carney Doebbeling
Jul 7, 2009·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Liba Pejchar, Harold A Mooney
Nov 17, 2009·Lancet·Jean E WallaceWilliam A Ghali
Sep 23, 2010·Work : a Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation·Gunn Robstad AndersenLise Tevik Lövseth

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 26, 2011·Science and Engineering Ethics·M A Crook
Jan 9, 2013·Stress and Health : Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress·Lise Tevik LøvsethOlav Morten Linaker
Jun 4, 2019·Work : a Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation·F StiefelC Bourquin
Sep 16, 2017·Academic Psychiatry : the Journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry·Keri J S BradyLaura Weiss Roberts

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.