Professional satisfaction of practitioners in psychiatry departments

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the indicators of job satisfaction of doctors working in psychiatry departments, to analyse the professional satisfaction of Polish, European and world psychiatrists and to identify ways to improve it. The study identified factors that influence the professional satisfaction of psychiatrists, compared it among psychiatrists in Poland, Europe, and the world, and developed a number of methods to improve this indicator. The results of the study showed that the level of professional satisfaction of psychiatric doctors is influenced by the following factors: salary level, working conditions, team relations, resource support of the work process, stress level, level of emotional burnout, sense of recognition and importance of their own work, work-life balance, and the degree of stigmatization of mental disorders in society. In terms of the number of practising psychiatrists in the country, the availability of psychiatric services and the level of the average annual salary of psychiatrists in Poland, Europe, and the world, the highest rates of professional satisfaction are recorded in the Scandinavian countries and Austria. Poland and Eastern European countries have lower scores, but the gradual increase in funding for psychiatry in Poland is leading to a positive upward trend. Ways in which this increase can be achieved include: increasing the staff of psychiatric units and optimizing administrative work to reduce workload, using cooperation and mentoring programmes to achieve a comfortable team environment, encouraging specialists to participate in training and mentoring programmes to enhance their professional development.