OBJECTIVE: To compare the day-to-day workload and prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) among physicians that exercise their professional activities in the emergency service with those of the ICU and infirmaries of a state-run general emergency hospital in the city of Recife in 2004. METHODS: Cross-sectional study which used a questionnaire elaborated to obtain information on the Physician’s Day-to-day Workload and the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), to identify CMD. Demographic, socio-economic and day-to-day workload characteristics of the physicians of the hospital were described. The global prevalence of CMD and stratified by working sector was calculated. RESULTS: Comparing the physicians of the emergency service with those of the ICU and infirmaries, the formers worked for the state (p < 0.0001), had multiple jobs (p = 0.004), had a greater weekly workload (> 71 hours) (p = 0.007), presented a greater sensation of being overworked (95.74%, p = 0.015) and received up to 5 times the minimum salary at the hospital (p < 0.0001). Although the difference was not statistically significant, the prevalence of CMD was higher among those physicians in the emergency service (32.00%) in comparison to those of the ICU (17.65%) and the infirmaries (17.54%). CONCLUSION: The emergency service was identified as the sector with the highest prevalence of CMD and with physicians experiencing the worst day-to-day working conditions.
Common mental disorders; physicians; working conditions
