Overview of ranking (highest to lowest): In Delphi round 4, 8 rewards and 6 challenges were ranked according to their level of importance relative to each other on a scale of 1 to 5 (1—least important, 5—most important)
| REWARDS AND CHALLENGES | MEAN RANKING (N = 24*) |
|---|---|
| REWARDS | |
| Diversity and comprehensive care | 4.0 (n = 20) |
| Preventive care | 3.8 (n = 4) |
| Relationships with patients and their families | 3.5 (n = 17) |
| Being an immersed witness to the human condition | 3.3 (n = 8) |
| Continuity of care and ongoing feedback | 2.9 (n = 8) |
| Control, flexibility, and security | 2.7 (n = 11) |
| Maintaining and acquiring skills and knowledge | 2.0 (n = 2) |
| Teaching, sharing knowledge and experience, and mentoring | 1.8 (n = 6) |
| CHALLENGES | |
| Medicolegal issues, paperwork, and motor vehicle accidents | 4.0 (n = 1) |
| Workload and time pressure, meeting demands | 2.6 (n = 17) |
| Maintaining and acquiring skills and knowledge | 2.2 (n = 5) |
| Paperwork, telephone calls, and forms | 2.2 (n = 6) |
| Availability of specialists, procedures, tests, and other resources | 2.0 (n = 5) |
| Patients’ expectations | 1.9 (n = 8) |
↵* 24 of the 25 round-4 respondents completed this part of the survey. On the most important rankings, 23 of the 24 ranked 3 and 2 on the most important items; all 24 responded to the rest of the rankings.