[Reasons for anxiety in primary care professionals. A resident-tutor comparison].

OBJECTIVES

1. To find the reasons for PC professionals' anxiety when going about their normal work. 2) To check whether training and experience affect the assessment of the reasons of Family Doctors for anxiety.

DESIGN

A descriptive study using a questionnaire.

SETTING

PC health centres with second-year family and community medicine (FCM) residents from the Murcia Teaching Unit.

PARTICIPANTS

All second-year FCM residents from the Teaching Unit (28) in December 1995 and their tutors.

MEASUREMENTS

Open questionnaire based on three points: Causes of anxiety in on-demand consultations; causes of anxiety in scheduled consultations; other reasons for anxiety connected with the Health Centre.

RESULTS

The three most anxiety-producing causes in relation to each question were: a) on-demand consultation: residents (R)--unfinishable consultations, lack of time, clinical problems; tutors (T)--unfinishable consultations, a lot of patients waiting outside, manipulative patients. b) Scheduled consultation: R--clinical problems, consultation too long, difficulties in reaching a solution; T--consultation too long, patients without an appointment and interruptions in the middle of the consultation. c) Other reasons for anxiety: R--not being off the day after being on call, having to do research work, and emergency calls; T--emergency calls, research work and temperature problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical problems are the causes of anxiety with the greatest difference between tutors and residents. Regulated training in the health centre and professional experience seem to act positively on some of the causes of anxiety.