Provision of medical care by physicians: Associations with working conditions, stress response, job satisfaction, and career support

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of working conditions, stress response, and job satisfaction on the medical care provided by physicians.

Methods: A total of 96 hospitals in the Kanto region with >200 beds were selected for the study, and a self-administered questionnaire survey was performed with the cooperation of 614 physicians from 41 participating hospitals. The objective variable, “medical care provision status”, and explanatory variables, “stress response”, “job satisfaction”, etc., were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Results: “Job satisfaction” had the greatest impact on the “medical care provision status”, followed by “career-promoting work environment”, which had an indirect impact via “job satisfaction”. Furthermore, the burden of “working conditions” increased “physical subjective symptoms” and decreased “job satisfaction”.

Conclusion: For improving the “medical care provision status”, it is important to focus on the “job satisfaction” of physicians and create a “career-promoting work environment”. Additionally, to reduce the “physical subjective symptoms” that decrease “job satisfaction”, there is a need to evaluate ideal “working conditions”.