How Satisfied are General Practitioners in the Northeast of Germany with their Professional Situation? A Survey of Professional Satisfaction in the Federal State of Mecklen-burg/West Pomerania

In Germany policy players want to strengthen the gatekeeper function of general practitioners, which is counteracted by the impending lack of family physicians in rural areas. All general practitioners in the state of Mecklenburg/Western Pomerania were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with their job in general and, in particular, with respect to patient care, workload, income/social status, personal satisfaction and professional relationships using a 7-point scale (from 1 = highly dissatisfied to 7 = totally satisfied). In addition, they were asked for demographical data. The survey response rate was 64.6%. With an average of 4.3 the overall professional satisfaction was rather moderate. The respondents were dissatisfied (mean<3) with their administrative burden and the little time that is left for family, friends, and leisure activities. A high degree of satisfaction (mean<5.6) was reported for the specifics of general practice such as the relationship to patients and the relationship to non-medical employees. Certain aspects of professional satisfaction are influenced by age, gender, and by the type of practice and its geographical location. Future structural changes should aim to reduce the administrative burden in order to increase the attractiveness of general practice.