Ss63-03 the Activities of the Section of Occupational Medicine of the European Union of Medical Specialists for Doctors’ Health Protection: The Example of the Initiative Related to the European Working Time Directive

Introduction The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) requires a maximum of 48 working hours / week. The increasing demands for physicians has provoked, since 2011, a debate on the possible exclusion of the application of doctors from this Directive. The Union of European Medical Specialists asked the Occupational Medicine Section for a position statement on EWTD and possible adverse health consequences on physicians. Materials and Methods A systematic review, using PubMed and EMBASE, was conducted to understand whether a working week of more than 48 hours would be possibly associated with adverse health outcomes in doctors. Physicians of any specialty, working in any possible setting were considered. Out of 3016 citations obtained, 110 full papers were assessed for eligibility: after quality assessment, 11 studies from Europe, North America and Japan were included. Results The results showed an association between long working hours and increased risk of needle-stick injuries and of road accidents. Some evidence, even if of low quality, was also observed for associations with mood disorders and general health. No studies on other health outcomes were identified. Conclusions The results show no evidence justifying a working week longer than 48 hours in physicians, so any exclusion of the application of EWTD for physicians has no scientific basis. Furthermore, even if it is not possible to set a safe number of weekly working hours for doctors’ health, it is fundamental that policy makers take into consideration safety and health issues when making decisions on possible exceptions for the application of EWTD for doctors.