Evaluation of Job-Related Anxiety Symptoms Among Brazilian Social Security Medical Experts

OBJECTIVES: The function of a medical expert within the scope of the Brazilian social security system consists of medically evaluating the examinee to draw a conclusive opinion on the person's working ability capacity and to characterize the disability for social security and assistance purposes. Forensic decisions inevitably converge on two opposite outcomes: concession or refusal. Rejection is against the interests of the candidates, who can direct their disappointment and dissatisfaction at the professional, exposing the latter to potentially stressful situations. The present study aimed to determine whether the prevalence of stress and anxiety symptoms is higher among social security medical experts than among medical experts in other public service careers. The study was also intended to propose organizational changes aimed at the preservation and recovery of the mental health of medical experts. METHODS: The evaluation was conducted using a specific, previously validated job-related stress questionnaire and a series of questions about subjective perceptions of work performance, labor stressors and emotional status. RESULTS: We found an overwhelming and alarming prevalence of stress and dissatisfaction related to occupational aspects among social security experts, often culminating in emotional exhaustion, a characteristic feature of burnout syndrome. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of job-related stress among social security doctors in Brazil, warranting implementation of specific measures to ensure the adequate provision of social security services to the population, thus avoiding social injustice and financial damage.