BERLIN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Almost three in four doctors practicing in German hospitals believe that their working hours negatively affect their own health, for example through sleep disorders, according to a survey published on Thursday by the Marburger Bund doctors' union in Germany.

Fifteen percent of German doctors even stated that they had already received medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for example against burnout, because of psychological stress at work, according to the online survey of around 6,500 doctors.

Although a standard contract usually covers only 40 hours of work per week, full-time doctors in Germany work an average 56.5 hours per week, including all shifts and overtime. According to the survey, 26 percent of hospital doctors in Germany are working on a part-time contract.

Due to the high workload, the general lack of staff and pressure by hospital operators for economic reasons, more and more German doctors are "reaching their limits," the survey noted. Forty-nine percent of the respondents said that they were "often overburdened."

"The working conditions in the hospitals must improve fundamentally," said Susanne Johna, first chair of the Marburger Bund.

The survey noted that "much time for patient care is lost through administrative tasks." The daily time spent on data collection, documentation and organizational duties has increased significantly compared to previous surveys conducted by the Marburger Bund.

While in 2013 only 8 percent of hospital doctors stated that they were involved in administrative tasks for at least four hours a day, the latest figure is 35 percent, according to the survey. Another 25 percent of German doctors are still involved in administrative work for three hours a day.

"If only half of the time spent on pointless and superfluous paperwork could be saved, we would already have gained a lot for patient care," stressed Johna. "Well-trained administrative staff" and user-friendly information technology (IT) equipment could reduce the workload, she said. Enditem

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