Understanding Physician Work Motivation

American Medical Association4,500 enrolled

Overview

Development and validation of a measure of physician work motivation.

Not that long ago, most physicians were solo practitioners. Today, more physicians are working in large, integrated delivery systems, and many are employed by hospitals and multispecialty group practices. These dramatic changes in the physician work environment raise important questions on how evolving physician payment and care delivery models support or undermine your motivation and ability to deliver high-quality patient care. To evaluate the impact of workplace changes on what motivates physician to deliver good patient care, this study aims to develop an accurate measure of physician work motivation. Simultaneously, the investigators plan to test hypotheses on the role of various workplace and psychological factors in physicians' work motivation. Namely, the investigators hypothesize that: 20 to 25% of the variance in work motivation is explained by psychological needs satisfaction; 5 to 10% of the variance in self-reported overall health status and depression is explained by work motivation; 5% of the variation in work motivation is explained by work that is seen as a calling; and 5 to 10% of the variation in medicine viewed as a calling is explained by the learning environment.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

4,500

Conditions

Physician Work Motivation

Interventions

No intervention employed. Study is based on a cross-sectional observational design.OTHER

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 21 YearsMax age: 90 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * practicing physicians in all medical specialties * resident physicians in all medical specialties * fourth year medical students in US allopathic medical schools Exclusion Criteria: * physicians without an active medical license. * resident physicians without an active medical license. * fourth year medical students in US osteopathic medical schools

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Internalization of work motivation (self-reported)

Composite measure comprised of 15 items using 7-point Likert-type response categories (not at all true-very true) to assess extent of psychological internalization of work motivation

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Secondary Outcomes

Psychological needs satisfaction at work (self-reported)

Composite measure comprised of 12 statements using 7-point Likert-type response categories (not at all true-very true) to assess perceived fulfillment of needs for autonomy, self-efficacy/competence, relatedness, and purpose in work context

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Overall health status (self-reported)

Proportion of respondents reporting own overall health as "excellent," "very good," or "good" vs. "fair" or "poor"

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Depression (self-reported)

Proportion of respondents reporting a score of \>3 on a two-item depression screening instrument (patient health questionnaire-2)

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Medicine as a calling

Composite measure comprised of 15 statements using true/false response scale to assess view of work as "calling," "career," or "job"

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Medical learning environment that supports professionalism

Composite measure comprised of 13 statements using 5-point Likert-type response scale (strongly disagree-strongly agree) to assess experiences of medical professionalism in medical students' learning environments

Time frame: Up to 4 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.