Anesthesiologists in China: a nationwide cross-sectional survey of working conditions, clinical practice, and career challenges

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Background: Anesthesiologists play a critical role in healthcare system, yet the overall working conditions of anesthesiologists in China remain unclear. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive national assessment of this workforce. Methods: An open nationwide, cross-sectional, non-probability sampling survey focusing on working conditions, clinical practice and career challenges of anesthesiologists across China was conducted by Chinese Society of Anesthesiology from June 2022 to February 2023. The questionnaire was distributed via WeChat online platform to anesthesiology practitioners across all healthcare tiers and diverse regions of mainland China. Data were analyzed and visualized using R software. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with resignation intention. Results: A total of 30,255 participants from 5,808 medical institutions were included in the analysis, with females accounting for 47.28%. Overall, 16.29% of participants reported resignation intention. Regression analyses identified significant associations between resignation intention and service years, weekly work hours, daily anesthesia caseload, annual income, sleep quality, smoking, alcohol, and exercise frequency. A majority (62.72%) participants reported weekly meaningful work accomplishment, while 50.4% reported weekly work overload, and 30.1% experienced weekly work-induced exhaustion. In addition, 82.12% of participants never treated patients with indifference. Overall, 56.27% reported job satisfaction. Chinese anesthesiologists exhibited high self-reported clinical quality and efficacy, with low rate of adverse events (2.99%). Medical disputes (7.44%) and physical violence (4.91%) were rare, while 35.32% reported experiencing verbal violence from patients. The primary barrier to professional title promotion was paper publication (62.81%). Conclusion: Despite demonstrating high clinical quality and professional fulfillment, Chinese anesthesiologists face substantial challenges including heavy workloads, occupational burnout, and career advancement barriers. These findings provide critical insights for targeted interventions and inform evidence-based policy-making to ensure a sustainable, high-quality anesthesia workforce in China.

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