Excess mortality substantially lower among physicians vs general population during pandemic

MedPage Today (2/6, Henderson) reports, “Physicians had substantially lower excess mortality compared with the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers found.” Among “physicians, there were 43…excess deaths per 100,000 person-years, while the excess mortality rate in the general population was 294…noted” researchers. The findings published in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine also revealed that “nonactive physicians had the highest excess deaths per 100,000 person-years, at 140, versus active physicians who provided direct patient care (27) and active physicians who did not provide direct patient care (22).”

Medscape (2/6, Banks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Older physicians (aged 75–84) were much more likely to die than younger colleagues (45–64), mirroring trends in the overall population.” For the study, researchers “examined death rates for U.S. physicians using the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Deceased Physician File.” Medscape adds, “From March 2020 to December 2021, of approximately 800,000 physicians who practiced monthly, 4511 physicians died, per the AMA.”

Related Links:

MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Posted in In The News.