Rates of Depression in Resident Physicians Are Unacceptably High

High rates of depression reported in resident physicians have caused concerns about the impact on patient care, beyond apprehension about physicians' well-being. However, published rates of depression and associated symptoms have varied widely. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 23 longitudinal and 31 cross-sectional studies (all but 3 using rating-scale data) involving 17,560 resident physicians in both the U.S. and elsewhere.

The pooled prevalence rate for depression and depressive symptoms was 28.8%; the rate was higher (43.2%) in the eight studies using a two-item rating-scale measure (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders questionnaire) than in the seven studies using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; 43% vs…