Expert assessment of the organization of comprehensive support for the prolongation of professional effective activity of a doctor

BACKGROUND: Medical workers are one of the professions that significantly strengthen the country’s economy [1, 2]. The development and implementation of health-saving technologies to prolong the effective professional life of medical workers of older age groups will preserve them as a labor resource of the country, which will exclude economic losses of the state.

The results of a sociological survey of doctors providing medical care in the polyclinic segment of Moscow and the Moscow region were used to assess the professional competencies of specialists [3]. An organizational technology was then formed based on these findings, which was subsequently proposed for expert assessment.

AIM: The aim of this study was to ascertain the significance of organizational technology measures for the professional longevity of doctors in older age groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study employed a multi-methodological approach, integrating sociological, statistical, and expert evaluation techniques. A total of 50 experts were invited to rank the activities comprising the integrated technology in terms of their perceived importance for achieving the desired outcome, namely, the support of effective professional longevity of doctors in the event of the implementation of such technology. The experts were specialists in the field of health care and public health, including chief physicians and heads of departments of urban polyclinics in Moscow and the Moscow region, who were accredited in the specialty 03.02.03. They had experience of management in the field of health care ranging from one to 29 years.

RESULTS: All experts concur that a medical organization should implement measures to prevent the deterioration of doctors due to aging. The necessity to test doctors over the age of 50 for cognitive disorders and dementia was confirmed by 90% of experts. Additionally, 60% of experts agreed that doctors over the age of 50 require a less demanding work schedule, including a reduction in intellectual workload and an extension of rest periods. At the same time, 20% of experts approve of the transition to a lighter work regime on an individual basis after testing, 10% agreed only with the prolongation of rest, and 10% gave a negative answer. In the opinion of 90% of experts, the widespread introduction of medical information systems (and training in working with them) will help to support the effective professional longevity of doctors of older age groups. A mere 40% of experts concurred that the transfer of senior physicians to monoprofile appointments would assist in prolonging their effective professional longevity. The majority of experts (80%) recommend regular cognitive training for doctors of advanced age, while 10% believe it is only necessary in specific cases and 10% are opposed to the idea. Only 70% of experts in the medical field implement organizational measures to maintain effective professional longevity, while the remaining 30% employ single measures. The therapeutic learning technology [5] was evaluated positively by all experts. The list of measures proposed by experts included the introduction of “time-outs” in addition to lunch break during the working shift, industrial gymnastics, the provision of psychological assistance to doctors by a psychologist, and the holding of computer literacy schools.

CONCLUSIONS: The need to introduce organizational technology for prolongation of medical competencies has been confirmed by experts in the field of health care and public health. However, the proposed technology should be adjusted taking into account the received expert opinions.