A study of job satisfaction and work environment perception among doctors in a tertiary hospital in Delhi

Many doctors are dissatisfied with their jobs, which is due to long working hours and overwork. This can affect patient care and reduce quality of care.

To study job satisfaction among doctors in a tertiary hospital in Delhi and the various factors related with it.

Data collection was done among 250 doctors on tenure-based job, selected by stratified random sampling, in a teaching hospital in Delhi, by using a self-administered questionnaire.

Proportions and Chi-square tests.

The mean number of work-hours among doctors was 9.7 +/- 2.7 hours per day, and the mean number of night shifts was 5.6 per month. About half (49.6%) of the doctors were dissatisfied with the average number of work-hours per day. Dissatisfaction was significantly more in those who had an average of> 8 work-hours per day and who had > or =8 night shifts per month. About half (45.6%) of the doctors considered their salary as 'bad,' and this was significantly more among unmarried doctors, interns and those who had > or =8 night shifts per month. More than half (55.2%) of the doctors were dissatisfied with their choice of profession, i.e., being a doctor, as compared to other professions.

A significant proportion of doctors were found to be dissatisfied with the average number of their work-hours and salary. Factors like the average number of work-hours per day and the number of night shifts per month were found to have a significant relation with dissatisfaction. Further studies are needed to explore how best the work-hours of doctors could be adjusted to improve their job satisfaction.