Lazaro P, Palma M, Azcona B, Cardona P, Chinchilla N; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.
Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 1999; 15: 78.
Health Services Research Unit, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
PURPOSE: To explore potential factors associated with the dedication of physicians to the organization. METHODS: An individual's motivational structure is determined by the relative importance of three types of motivations: extrinsic [EXM] (e.g., earnings, praise), intrinsic [INM] (e.g., job interest, challenge) and transcendent [TRM] (e.g. the desire to help others). The degree to which the organization satisfies these motivations is determined by its compensatory structure, which is measured in terms of extrinsic compensation [EXC] (e.g. remuneration), intrinsic compensation [INC] (e.g. job characteristics), and transcendent compensation [TRC] (e.g. internal values). The mutual influence between motivation and compensation results in different degrees of individual dedication [DED]. We define dedication as all those behaviors beneficial to the organization that cannot be contractually required. A previously validated self-administered questionnaire designed to measure these seven variables was mailed in 1997 to a random sample of 3,272 physicians working in Madrid and Barcelona. A 5-point Likert scale was used for all items. Physicians who worked in both the public and private sectors were asked to complete two questionnaires, one for each sector. We build a multiple linear regression model in which the dependent variable was DED and the independent variables were: age [AGE]; gender [GEN]; working sector exclusivity [WSE] (1=exclusively in one sector, public or private; 0-public and private); level [LEV] (1=hospital; 0=primary care); EXM; INM; TRM; EXC; INC; and TRC. An independent variable was considered to be significantly associated with the dependent variable if its regression coefficient had a p-value of <0.05. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 1,185 physicians (36%), of whom 941 (79%) met the inclusion criteria. The average age of respondents was 44 years; 597 (63%) were male; 525 (56%) worked only in the public sector, 83 (9%) worked only in the private sector, and 333 (35%) worked in both. Physicians working in both sectors completed 333 questionnaires for the public and 158 for the private sector. The adjusted independent variables significantly associated with DED were: A) in the public sector (R2=0.30); EXM (regression coefficient -0.10); INM (0.40); TRM (0.22):INC (0.07); TRC (0.10); WSE (0.33); LEV (0.28); B) in the private sector (R2=0.52): EXM (-0.17); INM (0.25); TRM (0.28); INC (0.24); TRC (0.28). CONCLUSIONS: The importance physicians give to job characteristics and organizational values, as well as the degree to which the organization satisfies these characteristics and values, has a positive influence on their dedication to the organization. However, the importance given to remuneration has a negative influence. In the public sector, working at hospital level has a more positive effect than working at primary care level, and, interestingly, working exclusively in the public sector is associated with a greater degree of dedication than working in both the public and private sectors. A better understanding of the factors effecting physicians' dedication to the organization can help policy makers implement mechanisms to increase individual job satisfaction and identification with organizational objectives.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Data Collection
- Income
- Job Satisfaction
- Male
- Physicians
- Physicians, Family
- Primary Health Care
- Private Sector
- Public Sector
- Questionnaires
- organization & administration
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102194078
From Meeting Abstracts