Study to find out stress, anxiety in GMCH junior residents

  • | Wednesday | 19th September, 2018

In cognisance of this, the directorate of medical education and research (DMER) has directed the GMCH, Nagpur, to undertake a study and analyse health condition of its 424 junior residents. At present, the number of junior residents in the first, second and third year in GMCH is 169, 145 and 110, respectively.Lajpat Agrawal, secretary of MARD unit at GMCH, said, “Outside Maharashtra, most medical colleges have a fixed-hour schedule for residents. As part of the study, 46 questions were posed to the residents and the results were studied with the help of a DAS (depression anxiety stress) scale, he said. This study is part of the Star Research Project of the DMER.“Due to 24-hour working, the dietary pattern of the residents becomes faulty. There are few specialists in rural areas,” Dr Narlawar saidUntil now, this course has not been taught in private or government set-ups in the state.

Nagpur: Strenuous working hours for providing health care to hundreds of patients on a daily basis and unhealthy dietary practices take toll on the health of the medicos also.Considered as the backbone of medical colleges in India, junior residents are the first to see a patient and they are expected to provide adequate patient care. On an average, about 4,000 OPD patients visit every day and 250 new indoor admissions are witnessed at the Government Medical College and Hospital. Along with practicing under senior doctors, the residents also work on research projects or prepare for postgraduation. All this, at times, leads to stress or anxiety among the residents.Over the years, several reports have emerged about ill-health of junior residents in the state and even incidence of tuberculosis (TB), which mostly affects a person with low immunity, among them have come to fore. In cognisance of this, the directorate of medical education and research (DMER) has directed the GMCH, Nagpur, to undertake a study and analyse health condition of its 424 junior residents. This is the first-of-a-kind study at government hospitals in Maharashtra.The study is being conducted by the community medicine department, with support of the dean Dr Abhimanyu Niswade. This study is part of the Star Research Project of the DMER.“Due to 24-hour working, the dietary pattern of the residents becomes faulty. They do not eat the way they should and end up munching on whatever is available to them at the wards. Moreover, the nature of their work is stressful,” said principal investigator Dr Uday Narlawar. As part of the study, 46 questions were posed to the residents and the results were studied with the help of a DAS (depression anxiety stress) scale, he said. The data collection has been completed and the results may be out within six months.Based on this survey, the DMER plans to establish a policy for graduate and postgraduate students across the state.Dr Narlawar said, “Tuberculosis may not be a problem as anticipated as only a few students were found to be affected with the disease. However, we have found the level of stress to be high. Their dietary patterns are unacceptable and there is no regularity in terms of time and the type of food. This was not the case earlier.”The study, started in September last year, will be completed by March 2019. At present, the number of junior residents in the first, second and third year in GMCH is 169, 145 and 110, respectively.Lajpat Agrawal, secretary of MARD unit at GMCH, said, “Outside Maharashtra, most medical colleges have a fixed-hour schedule for residents. However, here we have a continuous working culture, sometimes extending up to 60 hours. In such a situation, it is possible for residents to fall ill,” he said, adding a couple of residents have already been affected by dengue and three passouts were diagnosed with TB.Govt nod awaited for course in Masters in Public HealthEight medical colleges across the state — Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gondia, BJMC Pune, Nanded, Aurangabad and Grant Medical College, Mumbai — may soon start offering a Masters in Public health (nutrition) course. The proposal for starting the course has received approval from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) director and DMER. It is now pending with the government.At present, only MUHS’s Pune regional centre has the course, said Dr Narlawar, adding, the idea of the course was mooted to mould specialists at local levels, who can tackle problems of nutrition in rural and tribal areas. This course would be offered by the government in coordination with UNICEF. “The idea is to strengthen the public nutrition aspect. There are few specialists in rural areas,” Dr Narlawar saidUntil now, this course has not been taught in private or government set-ups in the state. In Maharashtra, stunted children under five years of age account for 34.4% of the population, whereas the count of wasting syndrome in children under five years is 25.6%.

If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

NYOOOZ FRIEND

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.


Stay updated with all the Latest Nagpur headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.

Related Articles