Panel management, team culture, and worklife experience

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health Psychology

Background:

• Burnout and professional dissatisfaction pose significant risks to the primary care workforce.
• Understanding factors influencing primary care provider (PCP) and staff work experience is critical for workforce retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between panel management capability, team culture, cynicism, and the perceived "do-ability" of primary care.
• To identify strategies for mitigating burnout and enhancing job satisfaction in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 326 PCPs and 142 staff across diverse primary care clinics (county, university, VA).
• Utilized Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE) models to analyze data, accounting for clinic-level clustering.
• Assessed panel management capability, team culture, cynicism (Maslach Burnout Inventory), and perceived primary care "do-ability".

Main Results:

• Higher panel management capability and team culture correlated with lower cynicism and higher perceived "do-ability" among PCPs and staff.
• An interaction effect was observed: panel management benefits were most pronounced in settings with lower team culture.
• Positive work experiences were consistently reported when both panel management capability and team culture were high.

Conclusions:

• Team-based processes, specifically panel management, are vital for protecting PCPs and staff against cynicism and dissatisfaction.
• Enhancing panel management capability can significantly improve work experience, especially in primary care settings with developing team cultures.
• Implementing robust team-based care strategies is essential for primary care workforce well-being and sustainability.