Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors

Objective: To investigate the effects of long working hours on pregnancy complications and obstetric outcomes among female doctors working in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 149 female MBBS graduates (mean age: 33.5 ± 7.3 years) who had conc...

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Main Authors: Hasna Adil, Mehwish Maqsood, Hasina M. Kadri, Hafsa Ahmed, Muhammad F. Iqbal, Misbah Nizamani, Tooba Hussain, Nabiha Syed, Lawiza Asghar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259016132400022X
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author Hasna Adil
Mehwish Maqsood
Hasina M. Kadri
Hafsa Ahmed
Muhammad F. Iqbal
Misbah Nizamani
Tooba Hussain
Nabiha Syed
Lawiza Asghar
author_facet Hasna Adil
Mehwish Maqsood
Hasina M. Kadri
Hafsa Ahmed
Muhammad F. Iqbal
Misbah Nizamani
Tooba Hussain
Nabiha Syed
Lawiza Asghar
author_sort Hasna Adil
collection DOAJ
description Objective: To investigate the effects of long working hours on pregnancy complications and obstetric outcomes among female doctors working in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 149 female MBBS graduates (mean age: 33.5 ± 7.3 years) who had conceived at least once, currently working in two tertiary-care hospitals of Karachi. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire containing questions regarding demography and course of 1st pregnancy of the participants including working hours, antenatal and natal complications. Means and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables with frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. The association between long working hours and different antenatal and natal complications was investigated using Chi-square test and T-test. Results: Out of 149 participants included in final analysis, 85.9 % doctors gave birth to alive babies while 12.8 % had miscarriages and 1.3 % had stillbirth. Mean working hours during the three trimesters were found to be 53.76, 53.66 and 48.7, respectively. 43 % doctors experienced at least one antenatal complication during their pregnancy. Women who worked more than or equal to 55 h per week during 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester of their pregnancy experienced more antenatal complications than women who worked less than 55 h (p-value=0.042, 0.021 and 0.018 respectively). 61.7 % females experienced at least one natal complication, most common of which was induction of Labour (39.1 %). Natal complications were significantly associated with increased workload during 2nd trimester (mean 58 vs 46 h, p-value 0.040). Doctors belonging to surgical specialty had 2.7 times higher risk of developing at least one natal complication than doctors of medical specialty (95 % Cl: 1.235–5.870). Conclusion: Long working hours during pregnancy are associated with antenatal complications among female doctors. Natal complications were only significantly related to long working hours during 2nd trimester of pregnancy, however, female surgeons are more prone to develop natal complications than doctors belonging to medical specialties.
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spelling doaj.art-21ba86c0069e48b2b2acd6d229b2cc912024-06-16T05:46:33ZengElsevierEuropean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X2590-16132024-06-0122100302Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctorsHasna Adil0Mehwish Maqsood1Hasina M. Kadri2Hafsa Ahmed3Muhammad F. Iqbal4Misbah Nizamani5Tooba Hussain6Nabiha Syed7Lawiza Asghar85th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan; Corresponding author.5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, PakistanDepartment of Community Medicine, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan5th Year Medical Student, Dow Medical College (DUHS), Karachi, PakistanObjective: To investigate the effects of long working hours on pregnancy complications and obstetric outcomes among female doctors working in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 149 female MBBS graduates (mean age: 33.5 ± 7.3 years) who had conceived at least once, currently working in two tertiary-care hospitals of Karachi. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire containing questions regarding demography and course of 1st pregnancy of the participants including working hours, antenatal and natal complications. Means and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables with frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. The association between long working hours and different antenatal and natal complications was investigated using Chi-square test and T-test. Results: Out of 149 participants included in final analysis, 85.9 % doctors gave birth to alive babies while 12.8 % had miscarriages and 1.3 % had stillbirth. Mean working hours during the three trimesters were found to be 53.76, 53.66 and 48.7, respectively. 43 % doctors experienced at least one antenatal complication during their pregnancy. Women who worked more than or equal to 55 h per week during 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester of their pregnancy experienced more antenatal complications than women who worked less than 55 h (p-value=0.042, 0.021 and 0.018 respectively). 61.7 % females experienced at least one natal complication, most common of which was induction of Labour (39.1 %). Natal complications were significantly associated with increased workload during 2nd trimester (mean 58 vs 46 h, p-value 0.040). Doctors belonging to surgical specialty had 2.7 times higher risk of developing at least one natal complication than doctors of medical specialty (95 % Cl: 1.235–5.870). Conclusion: Long working hours during pregnancy are associated with antenatal complications among female doctors. Natal complications were only significantly related to long working hours during 2nd trimester of pregnancy, however, female surgeons are more prone to develop natal complications than doctors belonging to medical specialties.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259016132400022XWorkloadObstetric outcomesAntenatal complicationsNatal complications
spellingShingle Hasna Adil
Mehwish Maqsood
Hasina M. Kadri
Hafsa Ahmed
Muhammad F. Iqbal
Misbah Nizamani
Tooba Hussain
Nabiha Syed
Lawiza Asghar
Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X
Workload
Obstetric outcomes
Antenatal complications
Natal complications
title Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
title_full Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
title_fullStr Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
title_full_unstemmed Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
title_short Long working hours and obstetric complications: A cross-sectional study among female doctors
title_sort long working hours and obstetric complications a cross sectional study among female doctors
topic Workload
Obstetric outcomes
Antenatal complications
Natal complications
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259016132400022X
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