Chronic understaffing at Queensland public hospitals has been highlighted by a study that reveals junior doctors are fatigued and fear mistakes, a peak medical body says.
The Queensland government on Wednesday also rallied behind their young medics, saying more must be done to support them after the survey found a third didn't feel safe at work.
More than 700 junior doctors across the state were surveyed about employment conditions for the annual Resident Hospital Health Check.
Peak medical body AMA Queensland says it highlights understaffing issues at state hospitals, with many young doctors also working significant overtime.
More than half were concerned about making a clinical error due to fatigue from long hours, with 18 doctors working more than 24 hours of overtime in a fortnight.
Just one-in-10 doctors worked a standard fortnight with no overtime according to the survey conducted by Australian Salaried Medical Officers' Federation Queensland and AMA Queensland's Committee of Doctors in Training (CDT).
"Chronic understaffing means junior doctors are working significant amounts of overtime, with fatigue and overwork affecting our ability to make good judgments and perform to the best of our ability," CDT chair Dr Elise Witter said.
"Patients deserve our best."
More than 30 per cent had experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment and a third reported that they had felt unsafe at work.
"Incidents of bullying and harassment remain unacceptably high and require a sustained and systematic response to ensure a work environment that promotes staff and patient safety," Dr Witter said.
The Queensland results are similar to the 2022 national medical training report in which a third of junior doctors experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination while half rated their workload as "heavy" or "very heavy".
The Queensland study did show an increase in the number of doctors being properly paid for their overtime.
But Dr Witter said 43 per cent of doctors claimed only part of their overtime, with an additional nine per cent not claiming any despite working extra hours.
AMA Queensland president Dr Maria Boulton said they would continue to meet with state health and hospital services (HHS) to ensure support for young doctors, who she described as "the most vulnerable financially and emotionally".
"But HHS still have a way to go to provide a more positive and support culture for our doctors," she said.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said a wellbeing workforce committee chaired by their chief medical officer had been set up, working directly with the AMA to help support junior doctors.
But Ms Fentiman said more had to be done judging by the survey results.
"I want to acknowledge that our junior doctors are going above and beyond," she said.
"We need to do more to support them and that's why I released a draft workforce strategy to hear from our clinicians about how we can better support them and how we can get more junior doctors.
"My message to junior doctors is any bullying or harassment or burnout is unacceptable so please speak up.
"Please talk to us about your ideas to how we can support you and retain you because we need you, our communities need you."
