Social relationships in physicians' work moderate relationship between workload and wellbeing-9-year follow-up study

Increasing wellbeing problems among physicians may lead to serious consequences in health care and means to prevent such development are called for. This study examined longitudinal associations between workload and changes in distress, sleep quality and workability in physicians and whether positive social relations at work would protect from such problems.

A baseline survey was conducted in 2006 for a random sample of 5000 physicians (n = 2841, response rate 57%). In 2015, the follow-up survey was sent to those 2 206 physicians who gave their consent (n = 1462, response rate 68.3%). The survey included scales for distress, sleeping problems, workability, workload, team climate, collegial support and questions for background information.

Increased workload was associated with increased psychological distress, sleeping problems and decreased workability during the 9-year follow-up. Good team climate and collegial support were related to decreased distress and sleep quality and enhanced workability. Good collegial support buffered the associations of workload changes on distress and sleep quality changes. Team climate was more strongly associated with changes in sleep quality and workability among younger and middle aged physicians than older physicians. Also collegial support had a stronger association with sleep quality change among younger or middle aged physicians than older physicians. These associations were robust to adjustments for age, gender, specialization, leadership position, marital status and baseline wellbeing.

Health care organizations should take measures to decrease workload and to increase availability of social support for physicians in order to protect physicians from declining wellbeing.