nach oben

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Erschienen in:

01.10.2008 | Original Article

Factors on working conditions and prolonged fatigue among physicians in Japan

verfasst von: Koji Wada, Mayuri Arimatsu, Toru Yoshikawa, Susumu Oda, Hatsumi Taniguchi, Toshiaki Higashi, Yoshiharu Aizawa

Erschienen in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Ausgabe 1/2008

Einloggen, um Zugang zu erhalten

Abstract

Objective

Fatigue among physicians could affect patients’ safety and physicians’ health. Fatigue could be caused by unfavorable working conditions. However, there have been no studies on the working conditions and fatigue among physicians in Japan. The objective of this study was to determine the factors on working conditions associated with prolonged fatigue among physicians in Japan.

Methods

A questionnaire was mailed to physicians who graduated from one of the medical schools in Japan and who have had more than 3 years of experience in clinical practice. They were asked to assess 10 different aspects of their working conditions using a 5-point Likert scale. Prolonged fatigue was measured using the checklist of individual strength questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the multivariate relationship between the variables and prolonged fatigue. Data from 377 men and 101 women were analyzed in this study.

Results

For both male and female physicians, a harder workload was positively associated and better career satisfaction was negatively associated with prolonged fatigue. Prolonged fatigue was negatively associated with better relationships with other physicians and staff for male physicians and less personal time for female physicians. The adjusted variance in prolonged fatigue related to exposure variables was 26 and 29% in men and in women, respectively.

Conclusions

The result of this study suggested that it is desirable to take these factors into consideration in the management of prolonged fatigue among physicians in Japan.

Nur mit Berechtigung zugänglich

Aratake Y, Tanaka K, Wada K, Watanabe M, Katoh N, Sakata Y, Aizawa Y (2007) Development of Japanese version of checklist of individual strength in working population. J Occup Health 49:453–460PubMedCrossRef

Bell DJ, Bringman J, Bush A, Phillips OP (2006) Job satisfaction among obstetrician-gynecologists: a comparison between private practice physicians and academic physicians. Am J Obstet Gynecol 195:1474–1478PubMed

Beurskens AJ, Bultmann U, Kant I, Vercoulen JH, Bleijenberg G, Swaen GM (2000) Fatigue among working people: validity of a questionnaire measure. Occup Environ Med 57:353–357PubMedCrossRef

Bovier PA, Perneger TV (2003) Predictors of work satisfaction among physicians. Eur J Public Health 13:299–305PubMedCrossRef

Bultmann U, de Vries M, Beurskens AJ, Bleijenburg G, Vercoulen JH, Kant I (2000) Measurement of prolonged fatigue in the working population: determination of a cutoff point for the check list of individual strength. J Occup Health Psychol 5:411–416PubMedCrossRef

Comeau M (2007) Professional satisfaction among Canadian physicians: a retrospective look at survey results. Available at: http://www.nationalphysiciansurvey.ca/nps/reports/PDF-e/Professional_Satisfaction_26-01-07.pdf. Accessed 21 April 2007

Ehara A (2005a) Lawsuits associated with medical malpractice in Japan: rate of lawsuits was very low in pediatrics, although many children visit emergency rooms. Pediatrics 115:1792–1793PubMedCrossRef

Ehara A (2005b) Only 2.5 pediatricians per pediatric department of Japanese hospital: Can each hospital continue to provide a pediatric emergency service? Available at: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/331/7518/648#117657. Accessed 12 May 2007

Faragher EB, Cass M, Cooper CL (2005) The relationship between job satisfaction and health: a meta-analysis. Occup Environ Med 62:105–112PubMedCrossRef

Fletcher KE, Underwood W, Davis SQ, Mangrulkar RS, McMahon LF, Saint S (2005) Effects of work hour reduction on residents’ lives: a systematic review. JAMA 294:1088–1100PubMedCrossRef

Gaba DM, Howard SK (2002) Patient safety: fatigue among clinicians and the safety of patients. N Engl J Med 347:1249–1255PubMedCrossRef

Hirashiki J (2006) Female physicians and international women’s association. Available at: http://medical.radionikkei.jp/igakushoten/final/pdf/060612.pdf. Accessed 12 May 2007

Janssen N, Kant IJ, Swaen GM, Janssen PP, Schroer CA (2003) Fatigue as a predictor of sickness absence: results from the Maastricht cohort study on fatigue at work. Occup Environ Med 60(Suppl 1):i71–i76PubMedCrossRef

Klazinga N, van Bolderen A (2003) Epimetheus’ responsibility: resident working hours and system redesign. Int J Qual Health Care 15:109–110PubMedCrossRef

Komatsu H (2006) Collapsing health care services (Iryouhoukai) (in Japanese). Asahi News Press, Tokyo

Landon BE, Reschovsky J, Blumenthal D (2003) Changes in career satisfaction among primary care and specialist physicians, 1997–2001. JAMA 289:442–449PubMedCrossRef

Landon BE, Reschovsky JD, Pham HH, Blumenthal D (2006) Leaving medicine the consequences of physician dissatisfaction. Med Care 44:234–242PubMedCrossRef

Li J, Yang W, Cho SI (2006) Gender differences in job strain, effort-reward imbalance, and health functioning among Chinese physicians. Soc Sci Med 62:1066–1077PubMedCrossRef

Linzer M, Konrad TR, Douglas J, McMurray JE, Pathman DE, Williams ES, Schwartz MD, Gerrity M, Scheckler W, Bigby JA, Rhodes E (2000) Managed care, time pressure, and physician job satisfaction: results from the physician worklife study. J Gen Intern Med 15:441–450PubMedCrossRef

Mechanic D (2003) Physician discontent: challenges and opportunities. JAMA 290:941–946PubMedCrossRef

McMurray JE, Williams E, Schwartz MD, Douglas J, Van Kirk J, Konrad TR, Gerrity M, Bigby JA, Linzer M, SGIM Career Satisfaction Study Group (1997) Physician job satisfaction: Developing a model using qualitative data. J Gen Intern Med 12:711–714CrossRef

Ministry of Health, Labour, Welfare, Japan (2006a) Average salary by occupation in Japan. Available at: http://wwwdbtk.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/kouhyo/data-rou4/data18/03.xls. Accessed 12 April 2007

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan (2006b) A report of a working committee on the number of medical doctors. Available at: http://www.mhlw.go.jp/shingi/2006/07/dl/s0728-9c.pdf. Accessed January 11 2007

Nowak D (2006) Doctors on strike-the crisis in German health care delivery. N Engl J Med 355:1520–1522PubMedCrossRef

Nylenna M, Gulbrandsen P, Forde R, Aasland OG (2005) Unhappy doctors? A longitudinal study of life and job satisfaction among Norwegian doctors 1994–2002. BMC Health Serv Res 5:44PubMedCrossRef

Organization for Economical Co-operation and Development (2006) OECD Health data. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/document/30/0,2340,en_2649_34631_12968734_1_1_1_1,00.html. Accessed April 29 2007

Owens JA, Veasey SC, Rosen RC (2001) Physician, heal thyself: sleep, fatigue, and medical education. Sleep 24:493–494PubMed

Robinson GE (2004) STUDENTJAMA. Career satisfaction in female physicians. JAMA 291:635PubMedCrossRef

Shugerman R, Linzer M, Nelson K, Douglas J, Williams R, Konrad R, Career Satisfaction Study Group (2001) Pediatric generalists and subspecialists: determinants of career satisfaction. Pediatrics 108:E40PubMedCrossRef

Smith R (2001) Why are doctors so unhappy? There are probably many causes, some of them deep. BMJ 322:1073–1074PubMedCrossRef

SPSS (2004) SPSS for Windows Version 13.0. SPSS Inc, Chicago

Stoddard JJ, Hargraves JL, Reed M, Vratil A (2001) Managed care, professional autonomy, and income: effects on physician career satisfaction. J Gen Intern Med 16:675–684PubMedCrossRef

Swaen GM, Van Amelsvoort LG, Bultmann U, Kant IJ (2003) Fatigue as a risk factor for being injured in an occupational accident: results from the Maastricht Cohort Study. Occup Environ Med 60(Suppl 1):i88–i92PubMedCrossRef

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2005) A survey of the number of obstetricians and gynecologists at teaching hospitals. Available at: http://www.jsog.or.jp/kaiin/html/arikata_report_feb05.html. Accessed January 9 2007

Tu YK, Clerehugh V, Gilthorpe MS (2004) Collinearity in linear regression is a serious problem in oral health research. Eur J Oral Sci 112:389–397PubMedCrossRef

van der Ploeg E, Kleber RJ (2003) Acute and prolonged job stressors among ambulance personnel: predictors of health symptoms. Occup Environ Med 60(Suppl 1):i40–i46PubMedCrossRef

Veasey S, Rosen R, Barzansky B, Rosen I, Owens J (2002) Sleep loss and fatigue in residency training: a reappraisal. JAMA 288:1116–1124PubMedCrossRef

Vercoulen JH, Swanink CM, Fennis JF, Galama JM, van der Meer JW, Bleijenberg G (1994) Dimensional assessment of prolonged fatigue syndrome. J Psychosom Res 38:383–392PubMedCrossRef

Wada K, Kudo Y, Nagai M, Yoshikawa T, Narai R, Oda S, Satoh T, Aizawa Y (2007) Identification of priority action areas of occupational health for health care workers at hospitals with inpatient wards in Japan: a Delphi study. Kitasato Med J 37:98–101

Wada K, Sakata Y, Theriault G, Aratake Y, Shimizu M, Tsutsumi A, Tanaka K, Aizawa Y (2008) Effort-reward imbalance and social support are associated with prolonged fatigue among medical residents in Japan. Int J Arch Occup Environ Health 81:331–336CrossRef

Titel: Factors on working conditions and prolonged fatigue among physicians in Japan
verfasst von: Koji Wada
Mayuri Arimatsu
Toru Yoshikawa
Susumu Oda
Hatsumi Taniguchi
Toshiaki Higashi
Yoshiharu Aizawa
Publikationsdatum: 01.10.2008
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Ausgabe 1/2008
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Elektronische ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0307-3

Springer Medizin

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu diesem Inhalt zu erhalten

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 1/2008

Biological tolerance values: change in a paradigm concept from assessment of a single value to use of an average

Call-handlers’ working conditions and their subjective experience of work: a transversal study

Study of the validity of a job-exposure matrix for psychosocial work factors: results from the national French SUMER survey

Available instruments for measurement of psychosocial factors in the work environment

Parameters influencing health variables in a sample of 949 German teachers

Levels of 1-hydroxypyrene, symptoms and immunologic markers in vulcanization workers in the southern Sweden rubber industries