Senior house officer withdrawals from hospital posts: a questionnaire survey.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the nature and number of unexpected withdrawal by senior house officers (SHOs) after acceptance of a hospital post at interview, and to investigate the reasons and possible solutions.


METHODS
Postal questionnaire based study.


METHODS
Medical staffing departments, accident and emergency (A&E) consultants, and withdrawing SHOs in England.


METHODS
Unexpected withdrawals by hospital specialty, three year trend in A&E departments, notice and reasons given, and action taken.


RESULTS
39% of medical staffing departments reported unexpected withdrawals in a broad spectrum of specialties for February 1998. In the specialty of A&E medicine this occurred in 34% of departments. Overall 72% of A&E departments had experienced this problem over a three year period, and the trend is increasing. The majority of A&E consultants (70%) took no action, and there was a lack of consensus among all respondents on the appropriate course of action to prevent this escalating problem.


CONCLUSIONS
Unexpected SHO withdrawal is a substantial issue in hospital medicine and has been increasing in A&E medicine. Measures to prevent this national problem are urgently needed.
Vickery
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DS
Department of Accident and emergency Medicine, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Gloucester, UK. davidvickery@yahoo.com
Bodiwala
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GG
D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003657:Decision Making; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004651:Employment; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce