Affiliations: Unité Presst/Sesmat épidémiologie
ergonomie SCMT, Paris, France | R&D; Engineer, Centre de Recherche Public Henri
Tudor, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Statistician, (MsC) SCMT, Hôtel Dieu Parvis,
Notre dame, Paris, France | CH Corbeil-Juvisy, France | COPIL (follow-up committee) SESMAT
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Madeleine Estryn-Behar, Occupational
Health Physician, Unité Presst/Sesmat épidémiologie
ergonomie SCMT, Hôtel Dieu Parvis, Notre dame, 75004 Paris, France. Tel.:
33142348817; Fax: 33142348520; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Objective: France encounters difficulties attracting physicians to
work in hospitals. Organisation at work and at home may be at the heart of the
problem for female as well as for male physicians. Participants: A comprehensive questionnaire was filled out online by
a representative sample of 1924 French hospital physicians. Methods: We conducted gender bivariate and multivariate analysis of
the risk factors for burnout and intent to leave the profession(ITL). Results: ITL was declared by 17.4% of physicians. According to 41.3%
of female physicians (FP), their profession was an obstacle to having children
(versus 19.3% for male physicians (MP)). Major factors linked with burnout were
Effort/Reward imbalance (FP adjOR=5.09, MP adjOR=5.93), Work-family conflicts
(FP adjOR=2.97, MP adjOR=3.04), and Low quality of teamwork (FP adjOR=1.82, MP
adjOR=2.68). Major factors linked with ITL were Low quality of teamwork (FP
adjOR=4.49, MP adjOR=3.03), Patient-related burnout (FP adjOR=2.10, MP
adjOR=2.35) and General burnout (FP adjOR=1.85, MP adjOR=1.45). Conclusions: Excessive job demands are linked with burnout and with
work-family conflicts, conducting to difficulties in organising one's life in
order to have and raise children. Potential solutions include facilitating
teamwork in order to reduce departure, which increase workload on those who
stay increasing their work family conflict.
