VOA标准英语2009年-New Study Shows High Rate Of Stress Among

By Carol Pearson
Washington
26 September 2009

 

 
As the H1N1 swine flu virus spreads rapidly through the Northern Hemisphere, doctors and other health care professionals face a heavier-than-usual workload¹.  Even without a flu pandemic, studies show, up to 60 percent of physicians in the United States suffer to some degree from "burnout" - physical and emotional exhaustion².  The stress on doctors can cause medical mistakes, so the universities that train America's doctors are looking for ways to prevent burnout.

So many children are coming to emergency rooms with flu-like symptoms that many U.S. hospitals have set up tents where they can diagnose and treat flu patients while keeping them away from other patients and hospital staff.

At a hospital in Tennessee, Dr. William May tries to diagnose his patients as quickly as he can. "We don't like to have to add that extra space. We're just busy. Very, very busy," he says.

Even without a pandemic to add to the workload, doctors are busier than ever. In Rochester, New York, primary-care physician Michael Schneider has seen the stress from his work increase steadily³ over the past 30 years. "It's something lost when we have phones ringing, consultants⁴ calling, computer screens flashing," he says.

A recent report by the Mayo Clinic says up to 60 percent of American physicians at times suffer symptoms of fatigue⁵ and depression, otherwise known as "burnout."  The  research shows that when doctors are overworked or depressed⁶, they are more likely to make mistakes - even errors that could cost people their lives.

Another study looks at how to help physicians cope with stress.  Seventy primary-care doctors in New York state took a course on relaxation⁷ and communication skills at the University of Rochester. 

Dr. Michael Krasner, leader of the study, saw a definite change in the doctors after a year of relaxation training. "Burnout, physician empathy, physician psychosocial orientation⁸ toward patient, mood disturbance⁹ and some personality features improved significantly," he says.

Dr. Krasner's theory is that physicians who have better communication skills, and who know how to relax when they can, can avoid symptoms of emotional exhaustion, such as a lack of a sense of accomplishment¹⁰ or difficulty empathizing with patients.

Dr. Schneider says the course helped him. "We are so removed from some of the skills we had all learned - or believed we had learned in medical school - about communication, that having an intensive course that really re-teaches and reinforces the skills that we had perhaps lost, is very valuable," he says.

This research highlights how important it is for doctors to address their own physical and mental well-being¹¹, both for their own good and for that of their patients.  The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

1 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

2 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

3 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

4 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

5 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

7 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

8 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

9 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

10 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

11 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。