Qualitative study on young hospital physicians: they remain satisfied ...

Introduction: Prevalence of depression, suicidal ideation and burnout are higher among physicians than in general population. Young physicians seem more concerned and the beginning of career seems to be a period of greater risks for hospital practitioners. While this may be the case, in France, fewstudies have specifically evaluated the quality of the working conditions of this population. The objective of this study is to identify stress factors related to the organization of work and to social relationships at work, as they are perceived by the young hospital physicians. Methods: A qualitative study through semi-structured interviews was conducted with hospital practitioners with less than 10 years of practice. Manual analysis of the interviews was carried out by three interviewers and supplemented by a computerized lexical analysis. Results: Eighteen physicians were interviewed. Five categories of psychosocial and organizational factors have been identified. Teamwork and communication are generally associated with positive feelings. The pace of work, professional status, organizational factors and material conditions are considered unsatisfactory. Young physicians, however, are satisfied with the content of their work, particularly because of scientific emulation and skills development. Conclusion: The results of this study should help to better target prevention actions in order to improve the working conditions of young doctors. It seems a priority to reduce their workload or to regulate their working time, to offer greater stability to their work and to provide them with better material work conditions.