A team of researchers led by Dr Michael R Oreskovich from University of Washington, Seattle collected surveys of 7,200 surgeons from more than 25,000 members of the American College of Surgeons.
The survey questions asked surgeons about their work, their lifestyle and their mood, and several were screened for alcohol abuse or dependency.
The latest survey which published in the Archives of Surgery reported that overall, 15% of American surgerons showed signs of alcohol problems, while other studies have documented that among the general population, the number is about 9%.
This research study led by Dr Oreskovich, did not determine why alcohol problems might be more common among surgeons.
The study, published in the Archives of Surgery, found that 15% had a score on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test that was regular with alcohol abuse or dependence.
The senior author of the study Oreskovich said that the nature of the beast is that the percent of emergencies, the percent of after hour jobs and actual scheduled work itself all needs energy and attentiveness that is actually different than a lot of the other specialties.
The research showed that the alcohol abuse or dependence was 14% for male surgeons and 25% for female surgeons, also reported was that these are more likely in surgeons who were younger, who were dissatisfied with a spouse or partner relationship, and did not have children.
Researchers found that the surgeons who were burned out and disheartened were more probable to have the uses of alcohol and dependence issues.
The study said that surgeons with alcohol abuse or dependence accounted for 77% of surgeons who reported a medical error in the past three months.
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