Ahead of the full-scale start of work style reform for doctors in April next year, the government conducted a survey of university hospitals nationwide and found that about 4% of all doctors are expected to exceed the upper limit of overtime work hours next fiscal year. Many of the university hospitals that responded said that shortening working hours would have an impact on securing research hours, and balancing work style reform and maintaining hospital functions is an issue.
With regard to work styles for doctors, from April next year, the "Work Style Reform" will begin to apply the upper limit on holidays and overtime work to working physicians who treat patients.
Prior to this, the government conducted a questionnaire survey of 4 university hospitals nationwide in December last year, and found that more than 12,81 doctors, or 3% of the total, are expected to exceed the upper limit of 1 hours of overtime per year next fiscal year.
However, most doctors who are expected to exceed the upper limit are expected to be subject to an even higher limit that will be set as a temporary exception for the maintenance of community healthcare.
On the other hand, with regard to the impact on education and research if working hours are shortened from the current level, most hospitals responded that they would not be able to secure time for research or that the quality of education would decline, so balancing work style reform and maintaining hospital functions has become an issue.
Kotaro Yokote, chairman of the National Council of Deans of Medical Schools and Hospitals, who conducted the survey, said, "There are many problems that cannot be solved by medical institutions alone in promoting work style reform, and doctors, governments, and the public need to work together to maintain the functions of university hospitals."
Expert: "It is necessary to proceed in cooperation with local governments"
Professor Hitomi Kataoka of the Center for the Promotion of Medical Education and Internationalization at Kyoto University, who serves as a member of the government's study group on doctors' work style reform, commented on the current state of doctors' work styles, saying, "It is very important that doctors have managed to support the medical care provision system by working long hours, but as the working-age population steadily decreases, it is clear that the current system will not last long. It is an important condition for healthcare professionals to be healthy in order to provide good medical care to patients, and it is necessary to review long working hours that lead to overwork and lack of sleep."
In addition, as an important point in promoting work style reform, "Even if you try to match only the numbers or forcibly reduce the number of hours, various distortions will appear in the long run. In addition to promoting initiatives such as reducing work and increasing the number of workers by collaborating with other occupations, it is necessary for each medical institution to promote the division of roles of local medical institutions and the problem of uneven distribution of doctors in cooperation with local governments. In addition, I think it would be best if patients could understand and work style reforms while compromising with each other based on a common understanding."