Of all the people in the world that you would think would undoubtedly stay
home from work when they are sick, you would have to say “doctors”
or “medical professionals,” right? These are people who constantly
work with the sick, or those who are suffering from serious medical conditions.
Medical professionals know how an illness affects them, and they know
how it can easily be spread among people.
And yet, a new study found that doctors knowingly ignore the risks of coming
into work when they are sick. The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics,
and it surveyed 536 medical professionals about their behaviors in relation
to work when they are sick. The results were very surprising.
According to the study, 95 percent of respondents said that going into
work while sick put patients at risk. Of course, many of these respondents
turned around and did it anyway. The survey found that 83 percent of respondents
had come in to work in the last year with symptoms such as respiratory
issues, diarrhea and fever. Even worse, 9 percent of respondents said
they had gone into work while sick at least five times in the past year.
Not only is this a health risk, but you also have to wonder
how effective these medical professionals are when they are sick. They are likely more prone to make mistakes, let alone the fact that
they are more likely to spread a disease than a healthy person. At the
very least, this is a reckless practice by many medical professionals.
Source: Reuters, “Many docs come to work sick,” Kathryn Doyle, July 6, 2015
