Workplace relational factors and physicians' intention to withdraw from practice

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Physician Workforce Studies
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Physician turnover negatively impacts patient care continuity and incurs significant costs for healthcare organizations.
• Strategies to enhance physician retention often focus on social integration through positive workplace relationships, but empirical evidence is lacking.
• The impact of interpersonal relationships on physician retention remains an under-researched area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether improved relationships with colleagues, staff, and patients decrease physicians' intention to withdraw from practice.
• To determine if the influence of these relationships on withdrawal intention differs between physicians in large group practices versus solo/small group practices.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Physician Worklife Survey.
• Logistic regression modeling to assess the association between reported relationships and intention to withdraw from practice within two years.

Main Results:

• Physicians reporting better relationships with colleagues showed a significantly lower intention to withdraw from practice, particularly in large group settings.
• The combined effect of positive relationships with colleagues, staff, and patients was significant for physicians in large group practices.
• This combined effect approached significance for physicians in solo/small group practices.

Conclusions:

• Workplace relationships appear to influence physicians' intentions to withdraw from practice, though the underlying mechanisms require further investigation.
• Interventions such as promoting informal mentoring and supporting physician community involvement may enhance retention.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the role of specific programs in fostering positive workplace relationships and improving physician retention.