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BMC Primary Care
Published in: BMC Primary Care 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Canadian family physician job satisfaction - is it changing in an evolving practice environment? An analysis of the 2013 National Physician Survey database

Authors: Jana Malhotra, Eric Wong, Amardeep Thind

Published in: BMC Primary Care | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

To explore the determinants of job satisfaction and work-life balance satisfaction of family physicians in Canada.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of the Canadian 2013 National Physician’s Survey using descriptive statistics and binomial logistic regression. An estimated 34,753 family physicians practicing in Canada at the time of survey administration in 2013 were eligible for the survey. The main outcome measures were respondent satisfaction with professional life and satisfaction with work-life balance.

Results

The survey had a response rate of 17%. Seventy-two percent of respondents were satisfied with their professional lives, and 49% were satisfied with their work-life balance. Male family physicians had lower odds of satisfaction with their work-life balance than their female counterparts (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.82–0.92). Family physicians using an electronic medical record had higher odds of dissatisfaction with their professional lives (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.05–1.22) and work-life balance (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.15–1.30) than those not using an EMR. Family physicians not in a focused practice had greater odds of dissatisfaction (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.50–1.72) with both their professional lives and work-life balance (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.22–1.37) compared to their colleagues who have one or more areas of clinical focus.

Conclusions

Canadian family physicians are more satisfied with their professional lives than with their work-life balance. Novel findings that family physicians with one or more clinical areas of focus are more satisfied with their work and work-life balance satisfaction, and that family physicians using electronic health records are less satisfied with their work and their work-life balance merit further inquiry.
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Metadata
Title
Canadian family physician job satisfaction - is it changing in an evolving practice environment? An analysis of the 2013 National Physician Survey database
Authors
Jana Malhotra
Eric Wong
Amardeep Thind
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Primary Care / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 2731-4553
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-018-0786-6

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