Job satisfaction, work related stress and intentions to quit of Scottish GPs

Job satisfaction and work related stress influence physician retention turnover and patient satisfaction. This study purports to elicit the views of Scottish GPs on job satisfaction stress intentions to quit and to examine any patterns by demographic job and practice characteristics. A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken by postal questionnaire on a random sample of 1 000 GP principals 359 GP non principals and 62 PMS GPs. The response rate was 56% GPs were most satisfied with their colleagues variety in the job and amount of responsibility given. The most frequently mentioned sources of job stress were increasing workloads paperwork insufficient time to do justice to the job increased and inappropriate demands from patients. White female young (under 40 years) and old (55 years and over) GP non principals and PMS GPs who workless than 50 hours per week as a GP were more likely to be satisfied with then job and reported lower levels of stress. Conclusions. GP participation in the workforce could be promoted by introducing more flexible working patterns (e.g. part time work) by expanding the scope of contractual arrangements and by making patient expectations more realistic by clearly communicating what the role of a GP actually encompasses.