Exploring Satisfaction and Migration Intentions of Physicians in Three University Hospitals in Poland

Katarzyna Dubas-Jakóbczyk, Alicja Domagała, Dorota Kiedik and Juan Nicolás Peña-Sánchez
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Katarzyna Dubas-Jakóbczyk: Department of Health Economics and Social Security, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531 Krakow, Poland
Alicja Domagała: Department of Health Policy and Management, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531 Krakow, Poland
Dorota Kiedik: Department of Economics and Quality in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
Juan Nicolás Peña-Sánchez: Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N5E5, Canada

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Introduction: University hospitals constitute a unique group of health care organizations which traditionally link three functions: (1) providing highly specialized services, (2) teaching activities, and (3) conducting research. Objectives: To assess the level of carrier satisfaction among physicians working in three university hospitals in Poland (1); to assess whether the physicians have the intention to migrate and what the main reasons for migration are (2); and to identify the actions that might be taken at the hospital level to mitigate physicians’ intentions to migrate (3). Methods: Cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative components. In the quantitative part, an online questionnaire was distributed among physicians working in three university hospitals. A total number of 396 questionnaires were analyzed. In the qualitative part, in-depth interviews with six hospital managers were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: On a scale from one “very dissatisfied” to six “very satisfied”, the mean career satisfaction of physicians was 4.0 (SD = 0.74). The item with the lowest mean concerned salary level (2.8, SD = 1.41). In the sample, 34% of physicians declared intentions to migrate from Poland. The main reasons for the intention to migrate were: Better working conditions abroad, higher earnings, the ability to maintain better work-life balance, better training opportunities abroad, and problems due to a stressful current workplace. Hospital managers considered the actions that can be taken at the hospital level to mitigate physicians’ migration to be specific to those focused on the working environment. Conclusions: Career development opportunities and features related to the working environment are the main factors influencing physicians’ satisfaction and migration intentions that can be modified at the university hospital level.

Keywords: university hospital; physician satisfaction; migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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