Background: Recently a great deal of attention has been focused on doctors'
work related stress and the possibility of improving their quality of life. Several
studies report that healthcare professionals, especially oncologists, are
overloaded physically, emotionally and psychologically. They develop a
confidential relationship with their patients through close contact and
interpersonal communication. Previous studies in the field of healthcare have
shown that communication skills training improves the sense of satisfaction and
well-being of physicians and patients.
Aims: Our research investigates the relationship between Work Stress, Work
Engagement and Personal Well-being in a sample of doctors working in Italian
hospitals. Specifically, the study investigates some protective factors involved in
this relationship.
Materials and Methods: The research included 176 physicians working in
Italian healthcare units. Doctors filled out self-report questionnaires to evaluate
Work Stress and Coping Strategies (Health Professions Stress and Coping
Scale), Personal Well-being (General Health Questionnaire), Work Engagement
(Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and two purpose-built scales to measure the
degree of perceived Organizational Support and the level of specific training on
social and relational skills.
Result: The data seem to confirm our hypothesis. Positive and significant
correlations were found between variables observed. Moreover, physicians who
obtained higher levels of specific training on social and relational skills reported
lower levels of stress. Finally, we examined the differences between oncologists
and other specialists: oncologists experienced greater stress (particularly in
problematic relationships with patients) than other physicians in terms of
maladaptive coping (such as emotional distress), and they lack additional
training.
Conclusions: The results presented seem to confirm that the well-being of
physicians is mediated by typical aspects of the profession, such as social skills
in relationships with patients. The possible implication of research will also be
discussed: the training needs of physicians and planned learning opportunities