Background: This research studied the prevalence of professional and personal distress of Nepali doctors, a previously unexplored subject, and examined the impact of their professional quality of life (ProQOL) on their distress.
Aim: To examine the existing situation of personal and professional distress and explore interrelationships between measures of ProQOL (burnout - BO, secondary traumatic stress - STS, and compassion satisfaction - CS) with personal distress (anxiety, depression and somatic burden) of Nepali doctors.
Methods: A non-experimental survey design was used to examine the personal and professional distress of doctors using an online and a paper-and-pencil survey with the use of SSS-8, HSCL-25 and ProQOL5-N measurement tools. Conformatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to measure the influence of professional distress on personal distress.
Results: The prevalence of anxiety, depression, psychosomatic distress and suicide risks of Nepali doctors (N= 557) were 30.89 %, 25.41 %, 20.5% and 5.7 % respectively. BO and STS scores showed moderate risk, with just over 1% doctors at high risk for BO and STS. The doctors were highly satisfied with their service. Distress measurement tools, SSS-8, and HSCL-25, and ProQOL-5, all in Nepali language, were tested through CFA. The data on SEM showed a reasonably good fit between the STS and CS measures of doctors and their levels of personal distress, but BO could not be tested. A moderate but statistically significant positive effect of STS on personal distress, except psychosomatic distress, was found. Nevertheless, the effect of CS on personal distress could not be determined.
Conclusions: One-fifth of Nepali doctors had a high level of personal distress. The risk for BO and STS was moderate. Nepali doctors found highly satisfied with their service they offer. The impact of professional distress on personal distress could not be fully determined. Nepali versions of SSS-8 and HSCL-25 were tested and verified for future use; however, ProQOL measures, mainly BO, require further studies.