Socio-economic factors for the job satisfaction of the physicians in bulgarian hospitals

Abstract

The physicians' job satisfaction and work motivation are the basic component of health service quality under the conditions of continuous public health reform. Тhe purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of some socioeconomic factors on the professional satisfaction and motivation of the work of hospital physicians. Materials and methods. During the period from 2013 till 2015, was carried out a direct individual self-administered questionnaire containing 31 questions among 612 physicians, 320 females and 292 males from 11 hospitals (5 district and 6 municipal) in South and SouthEastern Bulgaria. The data were processed by means of descriptive, correlation and graphic analysis using SPSS software, version 13.0. Results and discussion: Six socioeconomic factors have been researched and analyzed: continuous improvement of the qualification; pay for labor; organization of work; administration of hospital activities; compliance with clinical pathways and work-personal life balance. Moderate ratings dominate for all these socioeconomic factors, although their relative share varies significantly between 39% and 61%. Significant differences were found between the doctors' assessments according to the type of hospital-municipal or district. The job satisfaction of the doctors in the municipal hospital prevails significantly in terms of the organization of the work and the management of the hospital, and their dissatisfaction with the payment is almost twice as strong. Conclusion: The results of the study focusing on the most valuable human capital aim at a better understanding of the functioning of hospital healthcare in Bulgaria and the prospects for its improvement.