The Program for Comprehensive Care of the Sick Doctor (PAIME), born in Barcelona in 1998, has attended to 515 healthcare professionals in Catalonia during 2023 and 2024, representing 27% of the national total. This data was announced at the congress of the Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC) held in Alicante, where the most recent balance of the program was presented.
Catalonia leads care for doctors with mental health problems
In Spain as a whole, 1,993 professionals have requested help in the last period, a figure that marks a historic record since the creation of PAIME. Since its foundation, the program has assisted 10,000 doctors throughout the country. In the two previous years, 2021 and 2022, 615 doctors requested help in Catalonia, which represented 35.9% of the national total. Madrid, Andalusia, and the Basque Country follow Catalonia in the number of cases attended.
Profile of Professionals Served and Typology of Cases
84.9% of the cases treated are related to mental disorders, while problems linked to drug use account for 6.4%. By diagnosis, 28% of doctors consulted for adjustment disorders, 24% for mood disorders, and 21% for anxiety. The majority profile is that of a woman, under 50 years of age, a specialist in Family and Community Medicine, who works in the public system and resides in urban environments.
43.94% of doctors who contacted PAIME practice in health centers, while 25.20% belong to other specialties. Pediatricians, psychiatrists, internal medicine doctors, and emergency physicians are also among the most represented groups. 26.7% of registered doctors who requested help are between 31 and 40 years old, and the OMC highlights the increase in consultations among those under 30 years old.
Increase in therapeutic contracts and diversity of origin
85% of the professionals attended are Spanish doctors, while 15% come from outside the European Union, mainly from Venezuela and Colombia. 83% work in public healthcare and 88% in urban areas. In the last two years, 405 therapeutic contracts have been formalized, which represents an increase of 20%. Currently, 533 professionals have an active therapeutic contract, the highest figure recorded since 1998.
"To guarantee good medical practice and, ultimately, patient safety" - PAIME Report, OMC
María Isabel Moya, first vice-president of the OMC and national coordinator of PAIME, has been responsible for presenting the main data of the report, highlighting the importance of comprehensive care for healthcare professionals to preserve the quality of care in health centers in Catalunya and the rest of the State.