RAISR4D Suicide

Sudden unexpected physicians’ death during performing professional duties: increasing social and public health problem

14/07/2026

AI Summary

Sudden work-related deaths among physicians occur globally and have increased in frequency in recent years, representing a growing social and public health concern.
Specific specialties carry higher risk, notably surgery, psychiatry, anaesthesiology, intensive care and emergency medicine.
Deaths result from sudden medical events, work overload including suicide, and violence while on duty, demanding urgent research and preventive interventions.

Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026 Jul 7:222606. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02808. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A work-related death from sudden causes among physicians is not a new problem although still not enough explored in the scientific literature. Estimating the scale of the phenomenon is important from a social and public health point of view. Thus, the aim of this paper is to gather the current state of knowledge on the frequency and the main causes of unexpected sudden causes of death within physicians’ community. The authors of the article reviewed medical databases on publications in English concerning the topic released in this century. The cases of sudden death, work-overload death including those resulting from suicide and incidences of direct violence from other individuals while performing professional duties were analyzed. It turns out that the problem appears regardless of the region of the world and has been increasing in frequency in recent times. Some medical specialties, i.e., surgery, psychiatry, anesthesiology, intensive care and emergency medicine, seem to carry significantly higher risk than others. In addition to the conclusions from literature review, also letters to the editors and mass-media reports from different parts of the world indicate that the problem is alarming and requires more specific research and urgent solutions. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026;39(3).

PMID:42444410 | DOI:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02808

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