Exploring whether teaching activity is a way to improve GPs' satisfaction and wellbeing: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: GP dissatisfaction and stress at work have been a growing domain of interest for several decades. However, few studies have focused on positive predictors of GPs’ satisfaction and wellbeing. The diversity of activities could be one area that could be explored to aid job satisfaction. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the meaning in GPs' work and medical teaching activity. DESIGN & SETTING: This is a secondary analysis of the Swiss data of the QUALICOPC study, a multicentric European-wide study, investigating primary care quality, costs, and equity. METHOD: A total of 199 GPs in Switzerland answered a 60-question postal questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using Stata (version 15). A focus group with six GPs gave qualitative data to help interpret the results. RESULTS: Thirty-one per cent of GPs reported a loss of meaning in their work. In multivariate analyses, loss of meaning was lower in GPs with teaching activity (odds ratio [OR] = 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.27 to 0.90). In addition, loss of meaning was associated with late hospital discharge letter reception time (OR = 2.28; 95% CI = 1.20 to 4.35 if ≥15 days) and an administrative overload (OR = 4.18; 95% CI = 2.04 to 5.58). For GPs in the focus group, medical teaching occurred mostly because of intrinsic motivations. CONCLUSION: Loss of meaning in GPs' work was lessened with teaching activity. Therefore, encouraging a GP practice that is varied in its activities may encourage GP satisfaction. Ultimately, job satisfaction may impact patient quality of care and this study offers some insight on how to improve work satisfaction for the next generation of GPs.