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Improving quality of medical treatment and care: are surgeons’ working conditions and job satisfaction associated to patient satisfaction?

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Abstract

Background

Over the last decades, surgeons, researchers, and health administrators have been working hard to define standards for high-quality treatment and care in Surgery departments. However, it is unclear whether patients’ perceptions of medical treatment and care are related and affected by surgeons’ perceptions of their working conditions and job satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients’ satisfaction in relation to surgeons’ working conditions.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey with 120 patients and 109 surgeons working in Surgery hospital departments was performed. Surgeons completed a survey evaluating their working conditions and job satisfaction. Patients assessed quality of medical care and treatment and their satisfaction with being a patient in this department.

Results

Seventy percent of the patients were satisfied with performed surgeries and services in their department. Surgeons’ job satisfaction and working conditions rated with moderate scores. Bivariate analyses showed correlations between patients’ satisfaction and surgeons’ job satisfaction and working conditions. Strongest correlations were found between kindness of medical staff, treatment outcome and overall patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates strong associations between surgeons’ working conditions and patient satisfaction. Based on these findings, hospital managements should improve work organization, workload, and job resources to not only improve surgeons’ job satisfaction but also quality of medical treatment and patient satisfaction in Surgery departments.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all patients and physicians for their participation.

Conflicts of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Occupational Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University and Humboldt University, Thielallee 69-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Stefanie Mache & Karin Vitzthum

  2. Department of Medicine/Psychosomatics, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University and Humboldt University, Luisenstrasse 13a, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Stefanie Mache & Burghard F. Klapp

  3. Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Stefanie Mache, Karin Vitzthum & David A. Groneberg

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  1. Stefanie Mache
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  2. Karin Vitzthum
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  4. David A. Groneberg
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Correspondence to Stefanie Mache.

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Mache, S., Vitzthum, K., Klapp, B.F. et al. Improving quality of medical treatment and care: are surgeons’ working conditions and job satisfaction associated to patient satisfaction?. Langenbecks Arch Surg 397, 973–982 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-012-0963-3

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