Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study
Objectives The well-being of doctors is recognised as a major priority in healthcare, yet there is little research on how general practitioners (GPs) keep well. We aimed to address this gap by applying a positive psychology lens, and exploring what determines GPs’ well-being, as opposed to burnout a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058616.full |
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| author | Nick Glozier Ian B Hickie Christiane Klinner Alyssa Milton Diana Naehrig Louise Acland Brendan Goodger |
| author_facet | Nick Glozier Ian B Hickie Christiane Klinner Alyssa Milton Diana Naehrig Louise Acland Brendan Goodger |
| author_sort | Nick Glozier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives The well-being of doctors is recognised as a major priority in healthcare, yet there is little research on how general practitioners (GPs) keep well. We aimed to address this gap by applying a positive psychology lens, and exploring what determines GPs’ well-being, as opposed to burnout and mental ill health, in Australia.Design Semi-structured qualitative interviews. From March to September 2021, we interviewed GPs working in numerous settings, using snowball and purposive sampling to expand recruitment across Australia. 20 GPs participated individually via Zoom. A semi-structured interview-guide provided a framework to explore well-being from a personal, organisational and systemic perspective. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, and inductive thematic analysis was performed.Results Eleven female and nine male GPs with diverse experience, from urban and rural settings were interviewed (mean 32 min). Determinants of well-being were underpinned by GPs’ sense of identity. This was strongly influenced by GPs seeing themselves as a distinct but often undervalued profession working in small organisations within a broader health system. Both personal finances, and funding structures emerged as important moderators of the interconnections between these themes. Enablers of well-being were mainly identified at a personal and practice level, whereas systemic determinants were consistently seen as barriers to well-being. A complex balancing act between all determinants of well-being was evidenced.Conclusions GPs were able to identify targets for individual and practice level interventions to improve well-being, many of which have not been evaluated. However, few systemic aspects were suggested as being able to promote well-being, but rather seen as barriers, limiting how to develop systemic interventions to enhance well-being. Finances need to be a major consideration to prioritise, promote and support GP well-being, and a sustainable primary care workforce. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f17b634c0b7476db19199f3e962a27c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f17b634c0b7476db19199f3e962a27c2025-01-31T17:55:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-07-0112710.1136/bmjopen-2021-058616Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative studyNick Glozier0Ian B Hickie1Christiane Klinner2Alyssa Milton3Diana Naehrig4Louise Acland5Brendan Goodger6Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia1 The University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre, Camperdown, New South Wales, AustraliaCentral Clinical School, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaCentral Clinical School, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaCentral Clinical School, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaForHealth, Charlestown Medical & Dental Centre, Charlestown, New South Wales, AustraliaCentral and Eastern Sydney PHN, Mascot, New South Wales, AustraliaObjectives The well-being of doctors is recognised as a major priority in healthcare, yet there is little research on how general practitioners (GPs) keep well. We aimed to address this gap by applying a positive psychology lens, and exploring what determines GPs’ well-being, as opposed to burnout and mental ill health, in Australia.Design Semi-structured qualitative interviews. From March to September 2021, we interviewed GPs working in numerous settings, using snowball and purposive sampling to expand recruitment across Australia. 20 GPs participated individually via Zoom. A semi-structured interview-guide provided a framework to explore well-being from a personal, organisational and systemic perspective. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, and inductive thematic analysis was performed.Results Eleven female and nine male GPs with diverse experience, from urban and rural settings were interviewed (mean 32 min). Determinants of well-being were underpinned by GPs’ sense of identity. This was strongly influenced by GPs seeing themselves as a distinct but often undervalued profession working in small organisations within a broader health system. Both personal finances, and funding structures emerged as important moderators of the interconnections between these themes. Enablers of well-being were mainly identified at a personal and practice level, whereas systemic determinants were consistently seen as barriers to well-being. A complex balancing act between all determinants of well-being was evidenced.Conclusions GPs were able to identify targets for individual and practice level interventions to improve well-being, many of which have not been evaluated. However, few systemic aspects were suggested as being able to promote well-being, but rather seen as barriers, limiting how to develop systemic interventions to enhance well-being. Finances need to be a major consideration to prioritise, promote and support GP well-being, and a sustainable primary care workforce.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058616.full |
| spellingShingle | Nick Glozier Ian B Hickie Christiane Klinner Alyssa Milton Diana Naehrig Louise Acland Brendan Goodger Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study BMJ Open |
| title | Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Determinants of well-being and their interconnections in Australian general practitioners: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | determinants of well being and their interconnections in australian general practitioners a qualitative study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058616.full |
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