Teamwork Boosts Primary Care Job Satisfaction, Cuts Stress
Primary care physicians who worked as part of a multidisciplinary team were more likely to have higher job satisfaction and lower occupational stress levels.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of survey data from 2019 of primary care physicians carried out across 11 western countries to explore the relationship between team composition in primary care and occupational well-being.
More than 13,000 physicians from Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the US were included.
Occupational stress was measured on a scale from 'extremely stressful' to 'not at all stressful.' Job satisfaction was assessed using a similar scale.
The composition of primary care staff could have included nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians or medical assistants, nutritionists, pharmacists, mental health professionals, physical therapists, and social workers.
Five clusters (traditional, multidisciplinary, nurse-centered, psychologist-centered, and physiotherapist-centered models) were identified.
TAKEAWAY:
Almost half of physicians reported high levels of occupational stress, with a similar proportion experiencing job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction was notably higher among physicians when working in multidisciplinary teams (odds ratio [OR], 1.43; 95% CI, 1.26-1.62), psychologist-centered practices (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.09-1.42), or nurse-centered practices (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.635) than when working in traditional practices.
Lower levels of occupational stress were reported for physicians working in multidisciplinary teams (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68 - 0.87) and psychologist-centered practices (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.71-0.93).
Occupational stress levels were higher among female physicians (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08 - 1.27), physicians aged 35 to 44 years (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25), and those with shorter consultation durations (5-10 minutes; OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.50-2.26).
IN PRACTICE:
'The preservation of healthcare professionals' well-being is a critical issue for the sustainability of primary care systems and should not be neglected,' the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Christine Cohidon, MD, PhD, of the Department of Family Medicine at the Center for Primary Care and Public Health at the University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was published online on July 4, 2025, in BJGP Open.
LIMITATIONS:
The classification of primary care practices might have been unclear and used random cluster naming, hence noting the composition of each cluster may be necessary for interpretation. As the outcomes were self-reported, they are subject to reporting bias. Using single-question assessments instead of validated questionnaires may have overestimated the reported frequencies of stress and satisfaction.
DISCLOSURES:
The analysis was funded by the University of Lausanne's Institute of Family Medicine, Switzerland. No competing interests were declared by the authors.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
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