Demographics, practice patterns, job satisfaction, and career plans of endocrinologists in Poland

Abstract

Introduction: In view of dynamic ageing of the Polish population, there will be increasing demand for health services, including endocrinology services. The demand for endocrinology services is already high, with long waiting times for consultations as one of its indicators. Human resources - in this case doctors specialised in endocrinology - are key in meeting those needs. In this regard, it is worth defining the professional situation of endocrinologists in Poland. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge about the professional status of endocrinologists in Poland, i.e. their social and demographic characteristics, general job characteristics and characteristics of their work with a patient, job satisfaction, income, and career plans. Material and methods: The material consisted of data from 197 surveys from physicians specialising in endocrinology. Analysis of the material was quantitative and was performed using STATISTICA 13.1 software (STATSOFT, Tulsa, OK, United States). Results: A doctor with a specialisation in endocrinology in Poland is usually a woman below the age of 50 years living in a large city. In addition to the specialisation in endocrinology, they usually have a specialisation in internal medicine and they combine work in public health care with work in private care, which ensures high financial status. In an average working week of 45 hours, they admit an average of 100 patients, spending about one-fifth of their time on administrative activities. Despite the heavy workload limiting their work-life balance and average employment conditions, they report relatively high job satisfaction. Although they aim to work until the age of 70 years, they plan to reduce the amount of time spent at work. Conclusions: Further constant monitoring of job characteristics and job satisfaction of endocrinologists is needed to improve human resources planning and management.