The Article in Brief

Quality of Work Life of Independent vs Employed Family Physicians in Wisconsin? A WRen Study

John W. Beasley, MD , and colleagues

Background Increasing numbers of doctors are employed by large health care organizations, such as hospitals, HMOs, and multispecialty clinics. This study compares the quality of work life of family doctors who are employed by health care organizations with that of doctors in independent practices.

What This Study Found Doctors in independent practice report higher quality of work life than doctors employed by health care organizations. In particular, they report better work relationships, more influence over management decisions, more satisfaction with family time, more satisfaction with being a doctor, and better perception of the quality of care they provide. Independent doctors in this study have been in practice longer than employed doctors and report working longer hours.

Implications

• The growing number of doctors employed by health care organizations face important quality-of-work-life issues, including lack of control and lack of social support.
• By addressing these issues, health care organizations might encourage a more satisfied, effective, and stable workforce.