Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1 Physicians’ responses on the Family Physician Stress Inventory
Physicians rated their agreement with the 20 statements on a scale of 1–5, where 1—strongly agree, 2—somewhat agree, 3—neutral, 4—somewhat disagree, and 5—strongly disagree.
STATEMENTS STRONGLY AGREE (%) SOMEWHAT AGREE (%) NEUTRAL (%) SOMEWHAT DISAGREE (%) STRONGLY DISAGREE (%) 1. My sense of professional obligation is too strong for my own good 10.7 48.3 23.0 13.1 4.9 2. I have learned to effectively say no to the many demands of my work 12.3 43.5 13.9 27.0 3.3 3. I find that I can balance family and personal life with my career well 17.2 43.4 15.6 19.7 4.1 4. I find keeping up with new medical information overwhelming 25.4 36.1 20.5 13.1 4.9 5. The amount of paperwork to do is far too much 63.9 24.6 4.1 4.9 2.5 6. Some of my difficult patients can ruin my whole day 35.2 37.8 8.2 13.1 5.7 7. I find patients with complex medical problems an interesting challenge 9.8 44.3 21.3 18.9 5.7 8. My current practice workload is under control 18.0 38.5 18.9 21.3 3.3 9. I use effective time management in my practice 14.8 36.8 24.6 23.8 0.0 10. Recent changes in the roles of family physicians have been good for me 9.0 21.3 40.2 13.9 15.6 11. I find the business aspect of practice stressful 18.0 34.5 22.1 18.0 7.4 12. Long waits for accessing specialists, diagnostic tests, and community resources bother me a lot 55.1 30.8 8.3 5.0 0.8 13. Current rules and regulations set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Ontario Drug Benefit Program are reasonable 0.8 16.7 20.8 37.5 24.2 14. I find that medicolegal issues and required documentation adversely affect the way I practice 27.5 40.8 16.7 11.7 3.3 15. I feel well supported by our local specialists 3.3 27.5 17.5 39.2 12.5 16. Fellow family physician colleagues are a great support to me 20.8 38.4 27.5 10.0 3.3 17. The shortage of family physicians makes it more difficult for me to enjoy my practice 18.3 35.9 20.8 20.8 4.2 18. I think that family medicine is the most undervalued discipline in medicine 54.1 31.7 10.0 2.5 1.7 19. I suffer from a high level of professional stress 12.5 30.0 25.0 20.0 12.5 20. I have a high level of job satisfaction 15.8 48.4 23.3 7.5 5.0 PHYSICIANS’ STRESS INVENTORY SCORES MEAN EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION SCORE MEAN DEPERSONALIZATION SCORE MEAN PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT SCORE High (scores of ≥68) 34.4 13.7 36.3 Moderate (scores of 61–67) 24.8 8.7 38.5 Low (scores of ≤60) 16.4 6.7 41.3 - Table 3 Personal strategies for managing stress
Percentage of physicians who use these strategies frequently, occasionally, and infrequently.
STRATEGY FREQUENTLY (%) OCCASIONALLY (%) INFREQUENTLY (%) I eat in a healthy, nutritious manner 83.4 10.0 6.6 I schedule time for myself and my family 57.5 34.2 8.3 I am involved in sports activities or exercise 48.3 33.3 17.4 I spend time in personal self-reflection 37.0 26.9 36.1 I am involved in cultural activities, music, art, or other hobbies 24.2 29.2 46.6 I spend time looking after my financial situation 10.8 21.7 67.5 I am involved in charities or community service 8.4 17.5 74.1 - Table 4 Strategies for managing stress on the job
Percentage of physicians who use these strategies frequently, occasionally, and infrequently.
STRATEGIES FREQUENTLY (%) OCCASIONALLY (%) INFREQUENTLY (%) I strongly value my relationships with my patients 85.8 10.0 4.2 I participate in continuing medical education 80.0 16.7 3.3 I review my workload and scheduling 57.5 33.3 9.2 I discuss issues and problems with my staff 57.5 33.3 9.2 I use other nonphysician health professionals regularly in my practice 57.5 26.7 15.8 I am consistent in setting limits to my practice 41.7 47.5 10.8 I approach difficult tasks as opportunities to learn and develop my skills 39.2 31.7 29.1 - Table 5 Components of burnout
Percentage of physicians who had high, moderate, and low levels of emotional exhaustion, feelings of depersonalization, and a sense of personal accomplishment.
SCORES FOR THE 3 COMPONENTS EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION (%) DEPERSONALIZATION (%) LACK OF PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT (%) High (≥27, ≥10, ≤33) 47.9 46.3 17.4 Moderate (19–26, 6–9, 34–39) 23.2 23.1 34.7 Low (≤18, ≤5, ≥40) 28.9 30.6 47.9 TOTAL 100 100 100