The role of professional reward on job satisfaction among medical doctors in China : a meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: In recent years, job satisfaction for clinical doctors has increasingly been regarded as an issue. In China, because of the promotion of health reform, the change of medical model and people’s increasing demand for better health care, the doctors’ professional work load is particularly heavy. They have to cope with the high level of technical competency required of them from their work environment and social environment, leading to a less job satisfaction. Low job satisfaction of medical doctors should have an impact on patients’ satisfaction and quality of health care in hospitals. Several studies have pointed out that among all factors, inadequate reward is the most important one relating to job dissatisfaction for clinical doctors in China. This meta-analysis was focus on the job satisfaction for clinical doctors in the dimension of remuneration and welfare and see the factors of age, work year, position and educational degree have affections on job satisfaction for clinical doctors especially in the dimension of remuneration and welfare.

Methods: Search was performed with databases, Medline, Pubmed and PsycINFO for English; and Wan Fang Database and CNKI for Chinese studies and papers, published from January,2000 to June, 2014. The key words for searching were satisfaction, doctor, and reward for English studies and papers. Corresponding Chinese words were used as key words for searching Chinese studies and papers. The studies which used Likert 5 point method for measurement with self-administered questionnaires were included. Finally, 7 articles were included to this meta-analysis. Cross-sectional studies with stratified sampling method with participants of clinical doctors in Chinese hospitals and public health service institutions were included. Results: The result showed in this meta-analysis that remuneration and welfare were rated with the lowest score in six dimensions of satisfaction. Stratified analysis showed that the general dimension of satisfaction had no significant difference between different age groups, years of work, positions and educational levels.

Conclusion: No matter the age, years of work, position and educational level, remuneration and welfare is always the least fulfilled factor of job satisfaction for clinical doctors.