Relationship between outpatient duration of young outpatient physicians and lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction.

Abstract

BackgroundIn China, physicians aged 30–45 years who work in tertiary hospitals perform most of the clinical duties, especially outpatient services, and the high-intensity, high-pressure workplace may through long-term sedentary affect their health, particularly urinary health.MethodsThe study, conducted from October 2020 to October 2021, included male physicians in Xiangya Hospital, the Second Xiangya Hospital, and the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Hunan, China). They were divided into surgeon and non-surgeon groups. We collect the data on age, body mass index (BMI), duration of outpatient duties and the International Prostate Symptom Score-voiding (IPSS-V) and IPSS-storage (IPSS-S), and the IPSS-Total, and the IPSS-Quality of Life Index (IPSS-QOL), and the Athens insomnia scale (AIS), and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IIEF-5).ResultsThe duration of outpatient duties positively correlated with IPSS-Total (P<0.001), IPSS-S (P<0.001), and IPSS-QOL (P<0.001) and negatively correlated with IIEF-5 (p=0.032). Compared to non-surgeons, surgeons performed fewer outpatient duties. The IPSS-Total (P=0.016), IPSS-Storage (P=0.005), and QOL scores (P=0.046) of the non-surgeon group were higher and the IIEF-5 scores were lower (P=0.039). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding age, body mass index, IPSS-Voiding, and Athens insomnia scale scores. A positive correlation between outpatient visit duration and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in the IPSS-Storage subscale was observed and there was a weak negative correlation between duration of outpatient duties and the IIEF-5 score.ConclusionsCompared to surgeons, non-surgeons had more outpatient duties, and they experienced more severe LUTS and sexual dysfunction, which suggests that outpatient duties maybe should not be more than 4 days/week in Chinese tertiary medical centers.