A Scale to Measure the Joy in Work of Doctors: Development, Validity, and Reliability

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Physician burnout and job dissatisfaction are significant concerns in healthcare.
• Measuring joy in work is crucial for understanding and improving physician well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale for measuring joy in work among physicians.
• To provide a tool for assessing factors contributing to physician happiness.

Main Methods:

• Scale development involved literature review, expert consultation, and pre-investigation.
• Reliability and validity were assessed using Cronbach's alpha, split-half reliability, item-total correlations, and model fit indices (e.g., RMSEA, CFI).
• Data collected from 426 physicians were used for psychometric evaluation.

Main Results:

• The developed scale comprises four dimensions: work autonomy, competency identification, competency perception, and work relationship needs.
• The scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.954) and acceptable validity.
• Confirmatory factor analysis supported a good model fit, indicating robust psychometric properties.

Conclusions:

• A validated and reliable scale for measuring physician joy in work, grounded in self-determination theory, has been successfully developed.
• This scale serves as a valuable instrument for physicians and healthcare institutions aiming to enhance job satisfaction and well-being.
• The findings underscore the importance of autonomy, competence, and positive relationships in fostering joy at work for doctors.