On-call work and physicians' well-being: testing the potential mediators

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Physician Well-being
• Medical Workforce Research

Background:

• On-call duties are a significant source of stress for physicians.
• Previous research links on-call work to medical errors, injuries, and decreased well-being.
• Strategies are needed to mitigate the adverse effects of on-call work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if on-call work predicts psychological distress, job satisfaction, and work ability over four years.
• To determine if sleeping problems or work interference with family (WIF) mediate these associations.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study of 1541 physicians in Finland surveyed in 2006 and 2010.
• Mediation analyses were performed to assess direct and indirect effects.
• Data collected via questionnaires on on-call duties, distress, job satisfaction, work ability, sleeping problems, and WIF.

Main Results:

• Physicians with on-call duties reported higher psychological distress, lower job satisfaction, and reduced work ability.
• Sleeping problems and WIF were identified as significant mediators in these associations.
• On-call work correlated with increased sleeping problems and WIF; more on-call hours specifically linked to higher WIF.

Conclusions:

• Interventions should focus on improving work-life integration for on-call physicians.
• Work arrangements promoting better sleep and protected sleep time are crucial.
• Addressing sleeping problems and WIF can attenuate the negative impacts of on-call duties on physician well-being and performance.