Study: Third of doctors in Romania experiencing burnout, half of young doctors want to go abroad

According to a recent study, 34-36% of doctors in Romania are experiencing burnout, and 58% of young doctors want to leave Romania to practice abroad for better working conditions.

The study was presented by the president of the College of Physicians of Romania, Professor Dr. Daniel Coriu, and it also shows that 80% of the surveyed doctors fear malpractice lawsuits.

"Last year, we conducted this sociological study, done by professionals from the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Bucharest, with responses from 8,121 doctors, making it a very good sample size. We were interested in three main areas. The first is burnout. The burnout rate is 34-36%,” Daniel Coriu said during an interview cited by G4Media.

“We need to understand that burnout is not just simple fatigue; it can be a condition associated with depression, and suicidal tendencies, and we have colleagues who have even acted on these tendencies. Then, there is the direct impact on the quality of medical care. A doctor experiencing burnout no longer has the same ability to interact with patients," he added.

In the same study, doctors were asked about their intention to leave Romania and go work abroad. Across the entire population of doctors in Romania, regardless of age or social status, the rate is 25% among women and 30% among men.

“We are talking about people who are currently working in Romania's medical system and intend to leave. Among those under 35 years old, the intention is 58%," Coriu specified.

Meanwhile, 80% of doctors also have a fear of legal conflict and malpractice. The president of the College of Physicians said that a new malpractice law is being blocked and that politicians are not very interested in solving the issue.

“Regarding the intention to migrate abroad, you should know that income is not as big a problem as it was 10 years ago; salaries have increased. The main reason now pertains to working conditions," Coriu explained.

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