Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1
Core-periphery communication position and job satisfaction in primary care.
CM = clinic manager; LPN = licensed practical nurse; MA = medical assistant; NP = nurse practitioner; Phys(F) = physician, female; Phys(M) = physician, male; Radiol = radiology technician; Recep = medical receptionist; RN = registered nurse.
Tables
n Job Satisfaction, Mean (SD) All participants 143 5.8 (1.0) By clinic Clinic 1 32 5.6 (1.2) Clinic 2 21 6.0 (0.9) Clinic 3 24 6.0 (1.0) Clinic 4 21 5.8 (1.0) Clinic 5 45 5.7 (0.9) P = .566 By job title Physician, male 10 6.1 (0.7) Physician, female 14 5.1 (1.5) NP 7 5.9 (0.9) RN 27 5.8 (0.7) LPN 7 6.3 (0.8) MA 21 5.8 (1.2) Clinic manager 5 6.2 (0.4) Laboratory technician 12 5.4 (1.2) Radiology technician 8 6.4 (0.9) Medical receptionist 32 5.8 (0.8) P = .082 By percent full-time employment <50 4 5.5 (1.0) 50 to <60 17 5.9 (0.8) 60 to <70 15 5.6 (0.7) 70 to <80 9 5.0 (1.7) 80 to <90 22 5.7 (1.4) 90 to <100 15 6.3 (0.8) 100 61 5.9 (0.8) P = .065 By years in clinic ≤1 26 5.6 (1.1) >1 to 3 42 5.9 (0.9) >3 to 5 20 5.9 (1.0) >5 to 7 11 5.5 (1.1) >7 to 10 8 5.9 (0.6) >10 to 15 18 5.9 (1.2) >15 to 20 9 5.8 (1.2) >20 9 6.0 (0.9) P = .885 By sex Male 12 6.1 (0.7) Female 131 5.8 (1.0) P = .304 LPN = licensed practical nurse; MA = medical assistant; NP = nurse practitioner; RN = registered nurse.
WCW Scale Component, Mean (SD) Physician, Male n = 10 Physician, Female n = 14 NP n = 7 RN n = 27 LPN n = 7 MA n = 21 Clinic Manager n = 5 Laboratory Technician n = 12 Radiology Technician n = 8 Medical Receptionist n = 32 All n = 143 The amount of responsibility given 6.0 (1.3) 5.1a (1.6) 5.7 (1.7) 5.8 (0.6) 6.0 (0.8) 5.3 (1.4) 6.0 (0.7) 5.2 (1.2) 6.0 (1.4) 5.5 (1.4) 5.6 (1.3) The freedom to choose own method of work 5.0a (0.6) 5.2 (1.4) 6.1 (0.9) 5.4 (1.2) 5.1a (1.6) 4.9a (1.5) 6.0 (0.7) 5.9 (1.2) 6.4 (1.1) 5.2 (1.2) 5.4 (1.3) The amount of variety in work 6.3 (0.8) 6.0 (1.1) 6.3 (0.8) 5.6 (0.8) 6.6 (0.5) 6.0 (1.0) 5.8 (1.6) 5.1a (1.2) 6.1 (1.0) 5.3 (1.6) 5.7 (1.2) Colleagues and fellow workers 6.3 (0.8) 5.2a (1.9) 6.4 (0.5) 5.9 (0.7) 6.1 (1.2) 6.1 (0.9) 6.2 (0.4) 5.1a (1.7) 6.2 (0.9) 5.7 (1.2) 5.8 (1.2) Physical working conditions 6.5 (0.5) 6.2 (1.1) 6.6 (0.5) 5.6 (1.4) 6.3 (1.0) 6.0 (1.5) 6.2 (0.8) 5.5 (1.5) 6.2 (0.9) 5.9 (0.8) 6.0 (1.2) Opportunity to use your ability 6.3 (0.8) 5.8 (0.9) 6.6 (0.5) 5.7 (1.0) 6.3 (1.5) 5.5 (1.5) 5.6 (0.5) 5.1a (1.6) 6.1 (1.5) 5.1a (1.7) 5.6 (1.4) Your rate of pay 6.3 (0.8) 5.6 (1.5) 5.1 (1.6) 4.9 (1.4) 5.0 (1.0) 4.6a (1.6) 4.8 (1.1) 4.1a (1.6) 6.4 (0.5) 4.7 (1.8) 4.9 (1.5) Recognition you get for good work 5.5 (1.5) 5.0 (1.4) 5.9 (1.1) 4.6a (1.6) 5.7 (1.0) 5.0 (1.4) 5.2 (0.8) 4.3a (1.8) 6.5 (0.5) 4.7 (1.4) 5.0 (1.5) Your hours of work 5.0a (1.2) 5.0a (1.2) 5.1a (2.0) 5.7 (1.1) 5.4 (1.4) 6.0 (1.3) 5.2a (0.4) 5.6 (1.2) 6.5 (0.8) 6.2 (1.0) 5.8 (1.2) Taking all things into consideration, how you feel about your job as a whole 6.1 (0.7) 5.1a (1.5) 5.9 (0.9) 5.8 (0.7) 6.3 (0.8) 5.8 (1.2) 6.2 (0.4) 5.4 (1.2) 6.4 (0.9) 5.8 (0.8) 5.8 (1.0) LPN = licensed practical nurse; MA = medical assistant; NP = nurse practitioner; RN = registered nurse; WCW = Warr-Cook-Wall.
↵a P <.05.
Warr-Cook-Wall Scale Scoresa Responsibility Freedom Variety in Work Colleagues Work Conditions Opportunity Income Recognition Work Hours Overall Face-to-face communication core 0.73b 0.1 0.42 –0.26 0.14 0.79b 0.19 0.38 –0.03 0.33c Electronic communication core –0.13 –0.33 0.09 –0.02 –0.68 –0.13 –0.08 –0.05 0.59 0.29 Job title Physician (male) 0.72 0.26 1.09c 0.45 0.3 1.31c 1.43c 1.17c –0.96c 0.43 Physician (female) –0.03 0 0.85c –0.55 0.38 1.13c 0.99c 0.51 –1.37b –0.62c Nurse practitioner 0.51 0.94 1.15c 0.71 0.75 1.9b 0.49 1.39c –1.3c 0.2 Registered nurse 0.2 0.1 0.24 0.23 –0.31 0.64 0.17 –0.11 –0.69c –0.09 Licensed practical nurse 0.24 –0.12 1.12c 0.55 0.26 0.92 0.22 0.91 –0.78 0.35 Medical assistant –0.18 –0.38 0.61 0.38 –0.04 0.39 –0.1 0.33 –0.1 –0.11 Clinic manager 0.63 0.8 0.54 0.41 0.19 0.58 0.17 0.54 –0.86 0.28 Laboratory technician –0.02 0.67 –0.1 –0.66 –0.28 0.46 –0.47 –0.15 –0.88c –0.44 Radiology technician 0.63 1.15c 0.9 0.59 0.39 1.27c 1.67c 1.95b 0.07 0.52 Medical receptionist (reference category) … … … … … … … … … … GLMM = generalized linear mixed modeling.
↵a Values are presented as adjusted β coefficients for job title in the GLMM model. Two-level GLMM models of job satisfaction adjusting for clinic-level fixed effects, clinic-level clustering, number of years in clinic, and percent full-time employment.
↵b P <.01.
↵c P <.05.
Supplemental Appendixes
Supplemental appendixes
Files in this Data Supplement:
- Supplemental data: Appendixes - PDF file
The Article in Brief
Professional Communication Networks and Job Satisfaction in Primary Care Clinics
Marlon P. Mundt , and colleagues
Background Much discussion has covered how communication among health care professionals improves the quality of care for primary care patients. However, less insight is available about how communication promotes job satisfaction among health care providers.
What This Study Found Researchers evaluated job satisfaction as it relates to face-to-face communication among staff about patient care. This was performed in a cross-sectional study of 143 physicians and clinical staff from five US primary care clinics. Adjustments were made using factors such as job title, gender, length of time working at the clinic and percentage of full-time employment.
Implications
- Job satisfaction was higher for those more actively engaged in face-to-face communication than those less engaged. Efforts to encourage face-to-face communication among all team members, such as daily team huddles, may improve job satisfaction among primary care physicians and staff.
