Gender analysis of Spanish National Questionnaire on behaviours and attitudes of doctors towards their own illness (CAMAPE).

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Physicians' health is a key element for quality healthcare. Medical professionals have difficulty accepting their role as patients and it might be different among sexes. The aim was to describe behaviours and attitudes of doctors towards their own illness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey was launched through the General Council of Medical Associations webpage for all Spanish registered doctors. A bivariate analysis by sex was performed for all the questionnaire variables using parametric and non-parametric tests. The significance level was p<0.05 (95% confidence interval). RESULTS: A total of 4,308 registered doctors (1,858 men and 2,450 women) answered. Women were younger, single, and worked mainly in non-surgical specialities in the public sector. Men were older, married, and worked more frequently in public-private practice. Women had less chronic conditions, except for anxiety disorders (11.52% vs 15.18%). Both sexes, especially women, primarily self-treated (94.29% vs 95.02%), went to work while ill (88.16% vs 90.29%), visited their GP (56% vs 70%), and half of them underwent annual occupational health checks (40% vs 48%). Women self-prescribed more analgesics (93.43% vs 95.63%), more presenteeism (88% vs 90%) and felt more insecure when treating sick fellows (9.96% vs 20.12%) and requested training for it. More women agreed to make deontological recommendations about doctors' health (91.55% vs 96.16%) and considered revalidation may contribute to improve doctors' health (65.29% vs 66.16%). CONCLUSIONS: Male and female doctors show illness-health behaviours and attitudes at work to improve. There are differences among male and female doctors. Regarding, medical feminization, ethical recommendations may be of benefit regarding doctors' health-illness issues and considering gender perspective.

Behaviour and attitudes of Spanish physicians towards their own process of falling ill: Study protocol and validation of CAMAPE questionnaire.

Physicians have not learned their role as patients. Health programmes for doctors are focused on mental health. Nevertheless, anomalous behaviours of ill doctors exist independently of health problems. We present a study to describe behaviour and attitudes of doctors towards their own illness (CAMAPE) including the analysis of questionnaire validation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A mix methodology study based on semi-structured interviews to ill physicians and focus groups with members of medical colleges, occupational medicine services and doctors of ill doctors was performed. A survey was designed. Survey validation process included content and face validity, construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and reliability by Cronbach's Alpha Index. RESULTS: A total of 27 interviews to ill doctors and 4 focus group were performed. Content and feasibility assessment was made by experts. Psychometric validation was performed with a sample of 4308 answers (2450 women, 56.87%). A 5-factor (F) model explained 78.08% variance. First factor (F1) "The work might worsen health". Second (F2) "Mental issues, toxic habits and the impact of a bad health on work performance"; Third (F3) presenteeism and sick leaves; Fourth (F4) the handling of an ill colleague and the role of medical colleges. Fifth (F5) the healthcare pathway and potential value of revalidation in medical profession. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive mixed study on the process of physicians becoming ill has been launched with a reliable questionnaire in a large sample of registered doctors. The analysis will help to formulate gender-sensitive policy and ethical recommendations in relation to sick doctors given the progressive feminisation of the medical profession.

Quiero que borre de mi historial el antecedente de aborto / I want an abortion wiped off my medical record

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[Analysis of the relationship between primary care doctors and the pharmaceutical industry]. / Análisis de la relación entre el médico de atención primaria y la industria farmacéutica.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the type of relationship between primary care family doctors (PCDs) and the pharmaceutical industry (PI) and its representatives in Aragon, to describe doctors' attitudes to this relationship and to find out how doctors behave towards offers from the industry. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional study, through a self-filled questionnaire with closed replies, of a representative sample of the population under study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Family doctors working in primary care teams throughout Aragon. RESULTS: The reply rate of 28.17% maintained the study's representativity. Differences in the kind of relationship between PCDs and PI were found in gender (greater relationship of male doctors) and setting (it was greater in urban areas). Doctors working in centres with teaching credentials and woman doctors had a more critical attitude. The tendency to collaborate with the industry's offers was greater in the rural areas and among men. The group of doctors that interacted most with the industry tended to collaborate more with the proposals of the PI. No relationship was found between attitude and conduct of PCDs. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm both the starting hypotheses: a) the nature of relationships between PCDs and the PI and its representatives affects prescribing behaviour, and b) there are differences between what doctors think they should do and what they really do in their dealings with the PI.

[Working out a questionnaire to study the relationship between doctors and the drug industry]. / Elaboración de un cuestionario para el estudio de la relación entre el médico y la industria farmacéutica.

OBJECTIVE: To work out and validate a questionnaire that can be self-filled and has closed answers to describe: 1) the kind of relationship between family doctors and the pharmaceutical industry; 2) the attitude of family doctors towards this relationship, and 3) the conduct of family doctors when faced with concrete offers from the industry. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Representative sample of family doctors working in primary care teams in Aragon, stratified by province, rural or urban setting and sex. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire with closed answers that can be self-filled was worked out. It had 55 items on three scales. It was referred to a group of experts in methodology, administration, health law and Bioethics, for an appraisal of its contents, criteria and construction. It was then re-sent to three of them for appraisal of the stability of their scoring. RESULTS: The questionnaire was valid in contents, criteria and construction. The results of the re-test sent to a part of the total sample gave information on replies' stability and served as a measurement of the reliability of the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire worked out met established psychometric criteria. The analysis of its results after its distribution to a representative sample of Aragonese family doctors may contribute previously unknown information on their attitudes to the drug industry.