Please fill in and return to the above address before Friday 9 April 1999. As you see it will be handled anonymously. This means that we cannot send a reminder. Please contribute with your experiences! They are valuable.

1. In which country are you working ? ………….............................................

2. What is your age? (Encircle!)

3. Occupational diseases and injuries 

3a. Are cardio-thoracic surgeons in your opinion prone to get specific occupational diseases or injuries?

Yes

No

3b. If Yes, what are the typical occupational diseases or injuries for cardio-thoracic surgeons according to your experience?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

4. Musculo-sceletal system 

4a. Have you had more than trivial symptoms from the musculo-sceletal system during your career?

Yes

No

4b. What joint(s) or muscle groups have been involved?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

4c. Have you been absent from work more than occasionally due to symptoms from the musculo-sceletal system

during your career?

Yes

No

4d. Have you had an operation on the musculo-sceletal system?

Yes

No

4e. If Yes, what operation was performed?………………..........................................…....

 
4f. Could you go back to operative work after the operation Yes No

Yes

No

5. Acute disease during the operation

5a. Have you been forced to leave an operation due to acute disease symptoms of any kind?

Yes

No

5b. If Yes, how many times in the last ten years? ............................. Times

5c. What were the symptoms or the disease? …………………………………………………….....

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

6. Selection process 

6a. How many of your fellow colleagues, who were junior doctors when you started cardiac surgery (the first five years), have stayed in cardio-thoracic surgery and obtained independent operating status? (Encircle. Make an estimate of your experience. It is appreciated that you cannot provide an exact answer).

6b. Make the same estimate for your present situation. How many of the junior doctors now working in your department do you think will become independently operating cardio-thoracic surgeons? (Encircle. Make an estimate. It is appreciated that you cannot provide an exact answer).

6c. What is your opinion about the selection process? How many of the young doctors staying in your department for more than a year should become independently operating cardio-thoracic surgeons. How selective should the selection process be?

I believe we should have a selection process that accepts the following proportion of young doctors as independently operating surgeons

7. Suicide

Have you had experience of suicide in a colleague that could be tied to not being able to continue in cardio-thoracic surgery or to insufficient performance or results?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

8. Ischemic heart disease.

8a. Do you have or have you had any symptoms of ischemic heart disease?

 

Yes

No

8b. Have you had a coronary angiogram?

   

Yes

No

8c. Have you had a coronary operation?

  

Yes

No

9. Cause of death

9a. When hearing about the cause of death of former colleagues, have you been struck that a specific disease is unusually frequent as a cause of death in cardio-thoracic surgeons?

 

Yes

No

9b. If Yes, which disease? .............................................................................................…………………………..

10. Continued studies?

10a. Do you think that the health aspects of the career of a cardio-thoracic surgeon should be

further investigated?

 

Yes

No

10b. If Yes, do you have any suggestions for further studies?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank you for filling in this questionnaire. It will be reported back to you in a coming Newsletter.

Torkel Åberg, MD, FETCS
Secretary General