For decades and centuries, doctors have been considered as messiahs who cure, save lives, and alleviate pain. They have been amongst those professionals who are also compensated heftily. Even if the hefty paycheck does not entice, many youngsters today have this innate desire to give back to the society in a noble manner. This idealism tends to fade away as students move with their med school and stressful demands of residency. Those who then emerge out as victorious then face a newer sets of challenges on field. Below are the four core obstacles faced by serving doctors that make it difficult for millions of doctor to perform across the globe.
1. Limited Time for Each Patient
In most cases, this obstacle is linked to the challenges of the prevalent healthcare system structure as well as bureaucracies. This however is also a part of the bigger picture that constitutes a variety of factors including societal expectations out of medical, regulatory issues, and the constantly evolving pace of our everyday life.
The private payment requirements, government regulatory laws, and day to day difficulties make it hard to run the show for doctors forcing them to spend lesser time than usual with patients. The stakes in such situations tend to get extremely high with their careers at risk. Therefore, doctors today cannot really jump across all the hoops and hurdles that they encounter every day.
2. Political Situations Hampering Access of Medicine Facilities to Those In Need
In third world or under-developed regions, problems are a result of other issues that are generally beyond the control of the doctor. This includes natural calamities, economic or social problems as well as geographical events. Moreover, in other cases, the sheer lack of a proper healthcare infrastructure is the root cause of the problem.
It is quite idealistic in some countries to serve the suffering humanity due to the ongoing wars, corruption, and high patient to doctor ratio etc. healthcare workers, doctors, and volunteers who work in such troubled spots across the globe are prone to challenges, obstacles, threats and vulnerabilities.
3. Incurable Diseases or the Era of the Pandemic
There have been times for almost all doctors that they may have felt frustrated and helpless against incurable diseases. With COVID-19 taking the world by a storm affecting human life at large, healthcare workers now have to deal with bigger health related hazards also compromising on their own safety and security. Alongside, there is an increase in spreading of antibiotic resistant bacteria due to the excessive misuse of antibiotics. Similarly, newer variants of COVID-19 are also keeping doctors and researchers on their toes who are struggling to contain the virus. Furthermore, hospitals are also the breeding ground of diseases. Thus, despite all efforts, it now seems that healthcare experts are losing the battle against diseases that are lethal taking millions of lives across the globe.
4. Stress, Fear of Loss and Work Life Balance
While this may seem to be a personal problem, but it does adversely affect the performance of a doctor. Medicine is a profession that stands on respect and authority, therefore, it is generally stressful than most other professions. In actuality, the life and wellbeing of a patient is in the hands of doctors. Today, doctors face a myriad of factors alongside the ones that are listed above. This makes their jobs more stressful.
Studies show that physicians have a higher than usual suicide rate merely due to untreated depression. In the United States, the suicide rate for female doctors is estimated to be 2.3 times higher than the national average. Similarly, the male doctors is 1.4 times higher than national average for male doctors. Furthermore, the average rate of drug and alcohol abuse is also higher.
It is estimated that a majority of doctors work for 80 hours or more within a week. However, a relatively shorter period of time is actually spent interacting with patients. The staff and doctors spend a lot of time complying with newer regulation, adopting new technologies and catering to the economics of maintaining their practice. Therefore, the chances of stress and burnout are rather imminent.
The aforementioned facts are not intended to demoralize any talented, enthusiastic or motivated candidate from opting for this noble profession. On the contrary, the world desperately needs more qualified doctors. With COVOD-19, the need for doctors who are selfless, committed and dedicated is greater than ever. All doctors are contributing to the welfare of humanity, one way or the other, therefore their contribution is honorable and appreciated. The innate goal is that doctors effectively manage their expectations and acknowledge the obstacles and challenges linked with medicine. By facing these realities upfront, doctors can better live up to the parameters that initially encouraged them to opt for medicine as a chosen career.