Job satisfaction in general practice implications for prescribing

Abstract

The hypothesis that low job satisfaction among general practitioners may be associated with poor quality prescribing was investigated. One hundred and twenty four (124) general practitioners in England and Wales responded to a questionnaire which included items concerned with aspects of job satisfaction. A record of all prescriptions written during one month was also available for this sample of physicians. The questionnaire data were used to produce a reliable job satisfaction scale, the scores on which were then related to the prescribing of certain drugs which were selected as possible indicators of dysfunctional prescribing. It was found that the prescribing of drugs which are prone to cause adverse reactions, or which aredeemed inappropriate by medical consensus, was associated with low job satisfaction as measured by the scale. This was not true of drugs selected because of problems of dependency or misuse. Physicians with low levels of job satisfaction were also more likely to permit ancillary staff to write prescriptions for potentially hazardous drugs. The relationship between low job satisfaction and incautious prescribing was discussed with referenceto the nature of general practice and the selection of suitable candidates for this work.