Experiences of Negotiations for Improving Research Environment and Burnout among Young Physician Researchers in Japan

Abstract

Physician scientists in Japan are often too busy to be sufficiently involved in research work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate their experiences negotiating with their superiors to improve their research environment and determine its relationship with psychological burnout. Among 1790 physician awardees of Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists in 2014–2015, 490 responded (response rate 27.4%) and 408 were eligible for analysis. Outcome measures included two negotiation experiences: for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities and for increased space or equipment/increased research budget. The main explanatory variables were personal, patient-related, and work-related burnout measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. The percentages of the above-mentioned two types of negotiations were 20–24% in women and 17–20% in men. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses demonstrated that (1) the negotiation for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities was significantly associated with physician scientists who had a short amount of weekly research time and high patient-related burnout score, and (2) the negotiation for increased space or equipment/increased research budget was significantly associated with older age, single status, and high personal and patient-related burnout scores. High burnout is related to negotiation experiences among physician researchers in Japan.

Factors associated with overwork among pediatricians at Japanese hospitals

“…With respect to the significant association between private university hospitals and spending ≥80 h/week at the hospital, previous studies have noted that doctors working at such hospitals in Japan are required to fulfill three different roles (medical care, research, and teaching) and that this normalizes overwork. [18][19][20] In some hospitals, salaries are also low, and doctors have to take on additional part-time work to make ends meet. When promoting the reform of doctors' working practices, further support measures to guarantee the salaries of doctors employed in university hospitals should be considered.…”

Konnichiwa: Japanese scientists and their struggle to speak English

“…Japan, on the other hand, does not appear to have an environment that encourages its clinician researchers to continue with basic research. Even for those who secure independent funding, the demands of clinical work cause a high attrition rate (Toyoshima et al, 2020). This situation is also a concern at our institute: an internal survey found that 48% of our Ph.D. graduates go on to work in hospitals, most likely as clinicians.…”

Medical researchers’ perceptions regarding research evaluation: a web-based survey in Japan

“…Indeed, the fourth Medium-Term Plans of National University Corporations, which are required by law to establish Key Performance Indicators to achieve the ministry’s Medium-Term Goals, state that they will measure their performance with a focus on quantitative indicators, including the number of published articles 8. This is true in the field of medicine; combined with the fierce competition for positions as medical researchers, publishing in journals with high IFs is encouraged regardless of differences in fields 9. Consequently, this merit-based evaluation, combined with an overcompetitive environment, puts pressure on researchers to publish, potentially making them more susceptible to research misconduct 10–12…”

“… 8 This is true in the field of medicine; combined with the fierce competition for positions as medical researchers, publishing in journals with high IFs is encouraged regardless of differences in fields. 9 Consequently, this merit-based evaluation, combined with an overcompetitive environment, puts pressure on researchers to publish, potentially making them more susceptible to research misconduct. 10–12 …”

“…8 This is true in the field of medicine; combined with the fierce competition for positions as medical researchers, publishing in journals with high IFs is encouraged regardless of differences in fields. 9 Consequently, this merit-based evaluation, combined with an overcompetitive environment, puts pressure on researchers to publish, potentially making them more susceptible to research misconduct. [10][11][12] It is important to understand how medical researchers internalise the evaluation axes of their research/ researcher and how they interpret the evaluations they receive to address this contentious situation and find a solution.…”