Meta-Analysis: Physician Depression Tied to Medical Errors

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Physician depression is associated with increased risk for medical errors — and vice versa — according to a meta-analysis in JAMA Network Open.

The analysis included 11 studies that reported associations between depressive symptoms and medical errors (usually self-reported) among nearly 22,000 physicians. Most of the studies were U.S.-based, and three-fourths included only residents or interns. Among the findings:

• Physicians who screened positive for depression had a twofold relative risk for medical errors.

• In an analysis limited to six longitudinal studies, physician depression was associated with a 62% increased risk for subsequent medical errors.

• In an analysis of four longitudinal studies that looked at depressive symptoms after medical errors, medical errors were associated with a 67% increased risk for subsequent depression.