Status, causes and consequences of physicians’ self-perceived professional reputation damage in China: a cross-sectional survey

BMC Health Services Research

Yu Shi¹  Jinghui Wang¹  Shu’e Zhang¹  Bei Liu²  Xiaohe Wang³  Tao Sun³ 

[1]College of Health Management of Harbin Medical University, 150086, Harbin, China

[2]Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China

[3]Department of Health Management to School of Medicine, Hang Zhou Normal University, No.2318 Yuhangtang Road, Cangqian Street, Yuhang District, 311121, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China

关键词: Chinese physicians;    Deteriorating patient-provider relationship;    Damaged professional reputation;    Withdrawal behavior;    Workplace well-being;    Cross-sectional design;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-021-06306-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundConflict between physicians and patients is an increasingly serious problem, leading to the disrepute attached to Chinese physicians’ social image and position. This study assesses the status of physicians’ self-perceived professional reputation damage and explains it’s the adverse outcomes including withdrawal behavior and workplace well-being. Moreover, potential causes of Chinese physicians’ disrepute have been outlined.MethodsPrimary data were collected through a cross-sectional online survey of physicians from 10 provinces in China, who were invited to complete an anonymous survey from December 2018 to January 2019. A total of 842 physicians (effective response rate: 92.22%) were recruited as participants.ResultsAbout 83% of the participants self-perceived professional reputation damage from the sense of the public opinion concept. Approach half of participants exhibited the idea of turnover intention (47.3%) and one or more symptoms of burnout (46.4%). About 74.9% of the participants experienced a degree of stress. Additionally, three out of five participants reported low-level subjective well-being. More than 70% of the participants disapproved of their offspring becoming a physician. Four factors leading to physicians’ damaged professional reputations are those addressed: conflict transfer, cognitive bias, improper management, and individual deviance. Stigmatised physicians are more likely to practice high-frequent defensive medicine (β = 0.172, P <0.001), intend to leave the profession (β = 0.240, P <0.001), disapprove of their children becoming physicians (β = 0.332, P<0.001) and yield worse levels of workplace well-being, including high levels of perceived stress (β = 0.214, P <0.001), increasing burnout (β = 0.209, P <0.001), and declining sense of well-being (β = − 0.311, P<0.001).ConclusionChinese physicians were aware of damaged professional reputations from the sense of the public opinion concept, which contributes to increasing withdrawal behaviors and decreasing workplace well-being—a worsening trend threatening the entire health system. This novel evidence argues a proposal that Chinese health policy-makers and hospital administrators should promote the destigmatization of physicians immediately.

【 授权许可】

CC BY