Increased Incidence of Early Mortality in POSNA Members: A Canary in the Coalmine? Original Research

Abstract

Background: In light of increasing productivity demands and modern changes to work/life balance, physician wellness has become a more pertinent topic among physicians. We investigated whether modern pediatric orthopaedic surgeons are at higher risk for early mortality than their historic cohorts.

Methods: Data was collected from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), which records the passing of its members. The members were sorted into the decennial nearest their birth year. Using publicly available data from the US Social Security Administration, we determined life expectancy from age 45 for all deceased members (LE45), and compared this to their actual age at death.

Results: There was a total of 45 deceased POSNA members included. POSNA members born nearest the deciles of 1930 and 1940 had only one instance of a member dying more than 15 years prior to their expected age at death, compared to eight instances from the 1950 and 1960 deciles. There was one member each from the 1950 and 1960 deciles dying more than 30 years prior to their expected age at death, compared to three from the 1970 decile.

Conclusions: Although this data is difficult to analyze due to limitations in the denominator, the results are concerning and highlight the importance of more understanding of how to improve physician wellness. Additional study is necessary to further investigate if younger surgeons are at risk for early mortality.