Anesth Pain Med.  2021 Apr;16(2):205-212. 10.17085/apm.20071.

The senior anesthesiologists and their medical profession in Korea: based on a survey

• Kim K
• Baek S
• Choi IC
• Yang HS

• KMID: 2515549
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17085/apm.20071

Abstract

Background
The number of aging physicians is increasing as the global population ages. With aging, anesthesiologists would be expected to experience changes in their professional position. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the current professional status of Korean anesthesiologists aged over 60 years.
Methods
Registered anesthesiologists aged over 60 years in Korea were invited for a survey. The questionnaire addressed 10 subjects with 40 questions that focused on demographics, practical activities, work conditions, difficulties experienced due to physical changes caused by aging, and economic status.
Results
In total, 122 anesthesiologists responded to the survey (response rate: 15.7%). Of them, 30.3% were working in honorary and advisory positions at tertiary hospitals, while 19.7% were working as pain physicians. Majority of the respondents were working for 5 days a week (41.8%) and 6–8 hours/day (48.4%). Majority of them (79.5%) were generally satisfied with their present life.
Conclusions
Majority of the senior anesthesiologists were working at general hospitals and they reported being “satisfied” with the current status of their life. However, the clinical practice and retirement strategies of senior anesthesiologists need to be evaluated systematically to prepare for the continuing gradual increase in the number of senior anesthesiologists.

Keyword

Aging; Anesthesiologists; Republic of Korea; Survey; Questionnaire

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Age distribution of survey respondents. Majority (n = 88) were in their 60s.

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  Fig. 2. Working conditions of the respondents. (A) Workplace. Thirty percent of the respondents worked at tertiary referral hospitals, another 30% worked at secondary hospitals, and 20% worked at their own primary clinic. (B) Working time. Majority of the respondents worked only during the day. Some reported having night duty (16.4%) or on-call duty (18.9%). (C) Working hours. Majority of the respondents worked for 6–8 hours/day (51.6%), followed by 34.4% who worked for more than 8 h a day. (D) Working days. Majority of the respondents worked for 5 days per week (41.8%), followed by 30.3% who worked for more than 6 days per week.

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  Fig. 3. Age distribution of respondents who had night duty or on-call duty depending on the scale of the workplace. Majority of the respondents who had night duty or on-call duty were in their 60s. Those in their early 60s who had night duty or on-call duty worked at tertiary or secondary hospitals. As compared to other types of workplaces, nursing hospitals had a higher proportion of older respondents.

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  Fig. 4. Respondents’ satisfaction with life. Majority of the respondents (97, 79.5%) answered that they were generally satisfied with their present life.

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