Abstract
BackgroundJob satisfaction of doctors is an important factor determining quality and performance of a health system. The aim of this study was to assess job satisfaction among doctors of the public and private primary care clinics in Malaysia and evaluate factors that could influence the job satisfaction rating.MethodsThis study was part of the Quality and Costs of Primary Care (QUALICOPC) Malaysia, a cross-sectional survey conducted between August 2015 and June 2016 in Malaysia. Data was collected from doctors recruited from public and private primary care clinics using a standardised questionnaire. Comparisons were made between doctors working in public and private clinics, and logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors influencing the likelihood of job satisfaction outcomes.ResultsA total of 221 doctors from the public and 239 doctors from the private sector completed the questionnaire. Compared to private doctors, a higher proportion of public doctors felt they were being overloaded with the administrative task (59.7% vs 36.0%) and part of the work does not make sense (33.9% vs 18.4%). Only 62.9% of public doctors felt that there was a good balance between effort and reward while a significantly higher proportion (85.8%) of private doctors reported the same. Over 80% of doctors in both sectors indicated continued interest in their job and agreed that being a doctor is a well-respected job. Logistic regression analysis showed public-private sector and practice location (urban-rural) to be significantly associated with work satisfaction outcomes.ConclusionA higher proportion of public doctors experienced pressure from administrative tasks and felt that part of their work does not make sense than their colleague in the private sector. At the same time, the majority of private doctors reported positive outcome on effort-and-reward balance compared to only one third of public doctors. The finding suggests that decreasing administrative workload and enhancing work-based supports might be the most effective ways to improve job satisfaction of primary care doctors because these are some of the main aspects of the job that doctors, especially in public clinics, are most unhappy with.
Highlights
A strong primary health care system is widely regarded as one of the best approaches for the delivery of costeffective health services to achieve and maintain universal health coverage (UHC) [1]
There are five times more primary care clinics in the private sector compared to the public sector, higher patient visits were recorded in public clinics [9], resulting in an overload of patients and clogging up the clinics’ capacity
A total of 460 doctors participated in the study; 221 doctors were from public clinics and 239 doctors were from private clinics
Summary
A strong primary health care system is widely regarded as one of the best approaches for the delivery of costeffective health services to achieve and maintain universal health coverage (UHC) [1]. Attaining the main goal of offering the highest quality of health services and best health outcomes possible depends on the availability and accessibility of health workers as well as committed and well-performing workforce [2]. It has become increasingly important given the current shift in the global disease burden, i.e. the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), persistent problems with communicable diseases, and an ageing population that will bring an influx of people into the primary care system [3, 4]. The aim of this study was to assess job satisfaction among doctors of the public and private primary care clinics in Malaysia and evaluate factors that could influence the job satisfaction rating
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