ISSN 1301 - 0883 | E-ISSN: 1309-3886
Eastern Journal of Medicine
Impact on Medicolegal Responsibilities of High Workload of Emergency Physicians [Eastern J Med]
Eastern J Med. 2024; 29(1): 56-65 | DOI: 10.5505/ejm.2024.09582

Impact on Medicolegal Responsibilities of High Workload of Emergency Physicians

Yasin Etli1, Uğur Demir2, Mahmut Aşırdizer3
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Faculty of Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey
2Tokat State Hospital, Tokat, Turkey
3Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Faculty of Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

INTRODUCTION: High workload, fatigue, and burnout have been found to be associated with increased medical errors and impaired performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether medico-legal reports, which are a legal responsibility for doctors in Turkey, could be neglected on days with excessive high workload.
METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the daily total number of patients who presented at the emergency department of a state hospital and the number of medico-legal cases reported in a 1-year before and during the Covid-19 pandemic were analyzed. By using a workload score proposed and calculated for this study, the data of the days with and without excessive workload were compared.
RESULTS: As a result, it was determined that the number of medico-legal cases reported by doctors significantly decreased on days when the workload increased excessively. There was a significant correlation between the number of medico-legal cases and the total number of cases on days when the workload score was significantly reduced and it allowed a certain degree of modelling.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: An excessive workload seems to be caused doctors to neglect their legal medicine responsibilities, which poses a risk to both doctors and patients.

Keywords: High workload, Impaired performance, Medico-legal reports, Emergency, Burnout.

Corresponding Author: Mahmut Aşırdizer, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English
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