Mesothelioma patients spend a lot of time with their doctors and other medical professionals. However, while the doctors know the mood, health and lifestyle of their patients, most patients know very little about their doctors. What about your doctors – are they healthy and happy outside of work? The Medscape/WebMD's 2012 Physician Lifestyle Report set out to find the answer.
Doctors often encourage mesothelioma patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle even while undergoing painful and potentially debilitating treatments. Chemotherapy treatments often leave patients weak and fatigued, yet doctors and researchers find that patients that stay active may actually feel better. Doctors also stress the importance of proper nutrition and drinking plenty of water. All of these steps typically lead to a higher quality of life for mesothelioma patients.
But do doctors follow their own advice?
Medscape received feedback from more than 29,000 doctors, representing 25 specialties, during its online poll conducted for two weeks in January. Doctors were asked to rate their own health and happiness on two separate five-point scales, with 5 being the healthiest and happiest.
The specialties with the happiest physicians are rheumatology (4.09), dermatology (4.05), urology (4.04), ophthalmology (4.03) and emergency medicine (4.01). The five least happy, although all with a happiness rating of 3.89 or 3.88, are general surgery, oncology, internal medicine, gastroenterology and neurology.
According to the survey, both male and female physicians enjoy the following activities, in this order: exercise/physical activity; reading; travel; cultural events; and food and wine. The doctors that have a spouse or partner are generally happier than their single counterparts.
Dermatology (4.23), plastic surgery (4.22), diabetes & endocrinology (4.20), orthopaedics (4.19) and cardiology (4.17) are the specialties with the highest health rankings. Oncologists are ranked 11th with a rating of 4.11.
Physicians do not fare much better than all other Americans when it comes to managing their weight. 38% of the male physicians and 26% of the females reported themselves as overweight. That compares to 40% of men and 28.6% of the women in the general population. However, on average, physicians tend to exercise on a regular basis. The survey found that as physicians age, they tend to exercise more.
The one question asked that is often asked by mesothelioma patients of their doctors was: "If you were told you had a terminal illness would you choose palliative care and quality of life over length, treat it aggressively as long as possible, or I don't know."
Slightly over 23% of the physicians reported they were uncertain about how they would respond if dealing with their own terminal illness. Almost 65% said that they would choose quality over length of life, and only about 12% were certain about wanting to have aggressive treatment.
Many doctors work closely with their patients in determining the appropriate mesothelioma treatment plan. Each case is unique and the plan is based on the characteristics of the disease and the needs and desires of the patients and their families.
The information presented above is offered as information only and is not meant to offer any analogies between the health or happiness of doctors and the level or type of care they give their patients.
