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Learning or leaving? An international qualitative study of factors affecting the resilience of female family doctors.

ABSTRACT: ?BACKGROUND: Many countries have insufficient numbers of family doctors, and more females than males leave the workforce at a younger age or have difficulty sustaining careers. Understanding the differing attitudes, pressures, and perceptions between genders toward their medical occupation is important to minimise workforce attrition. ?AIM: To explore factors influencing the resilience of female family doctors during lifecycle transitions. ?DESIGN & SETTING: International qualitative study with female family doctors from all world regions. ?METHOD: Twenty semi-structured online Skype interviews, followed by three focus groups to develop recommendations. Data were transcribed and analysed using applied framework analysis. ?RESULTS: Interview participants described a complex interface between competing demands, expectations of their gender, and internalised expectations of themselves. Systemic barriers, such as lack of flexible working, excessive workload, and the cumulative impacts of unrealistic expectations impaired the ability to fully contribute in the workplace. At the individual level, resilience related to: the ability to make choices; previous experiences that had encouraged self-confidence; effective engagement to obtain support; and the ability to handle negative experiences. External support, such as strong personal networks, and an adaptive work setting and organisation or system maximised interviewees' professional contributions. ?CONCLUSION: On an international scale, female family doctors experience similar pressures from competing demands during lifecycle transitions; some of which relate to expectations of the female's 'role' in society, particularly around the additional personal pressures of caring commitments. Such situations could be predicted, planned for, and mitigated with explicit support mechanisms and availability of workplace choices. Healthcare organisations and systems around the world should recognise this need and implement recommendations to help reduce workforce losses. These findings are likely to be of interest to all health professional staff of any gender.

SUBMITTER: Shiner A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7330184 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Learning or leaving? An international qualitative study of factors affecting the resilience of female family doctors.

Shiner Alice A Watson Jessica J Doohan Noemi N Howe Amanda A

BJGP open 20200501 1

BACKGROUND: Many countries have insufficient numbers of family doctors, and more females than males leave the workforce at a younger age or have difficulty sustaining careers. Understanding the differing attitudes, pressures, and perceptions between genders toward their medical occupation is important to minimise workforce attrition. AIM: To explore factors influencing the resilience of female family doctors during lifecycle transitions. DESIGN & SETTING: International qualitative study with ...[more]

PMID: 32184214

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Medical practitioners can experience considerable stress and poor mental health during their careers, with doctors in training known to be particularly vulnerable. Previous research has documented work-related factors that may play a role in the mental health status of junior doctors. However, these and additional factors, need to be explored further by considering theory-driven, social, structural and contextual issues. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of junior doctors working in Australian hospitals to identify factors that impact their mental health during medical training. METHOD:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 junior medical officers (JMOs) employed across six hospitals in Australia. Transcribed de-identified interviews were analysed thematically using a data-driven inductive approach. RESULTS:Four interrelated main themes were identified: i) professional hierarchies; ii) occupational stress; iii) emotional labour, and iv) taking distress home; which detail the complex affective, relational and professional experiences of JMOs. The accounts demonstrate how the social, professional and organisational dimensions of these experiences impact upon trainee's well-being and mental health, both positively and negatively. Together, the findings document the dynamic, nuanced aspects of junior doctors' experiences of medical training and practice and highlights the importance of relational connections and the workplace environment in shaping JMOs' social and emotional well-being. CONCLUSION:The current study adds to the understanding of how junior doctors navigate medical training in Australian hospitals and highlights the complexities of this experience, particularly the ways in which mental health and well-being are shaped by different elements. These findings have important implications to inform new strategies to improve JMO mental health and to leverage work and non-work contexts to better support JMOs during medical training.

Dataset Information

Learning or leaving? An international qualitative study of factors affecting the resilience of female family doctors.

Publications

Learning or leaving? An international qualitative study of factors affecting the resilience of female family doctors.

Similar Datasets

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