Analysis of occupational stress and doctor-patient relationship among neurologists

Objective  To observe the association between occupational stress and doctor-patient relationship among neurologists.

Methods  A total of 131 physicians in the neurology departments of top three hospitals were studied with the Scale for Occupational Stress of Clinician and the Difficult Doctor Patient Relationship Questionnaire (DDPRQ-10).

Results  The occupational stress scores varied among neurologists with different ages and education levels (P < 0.05). The occupational stress scores increased with age and decreased with the education level. There were no significant differences of doctor-patient relationship scores among neurologists with different ages, education levels and professional titles (P > 0.05). The workload difference of physicians in different ages was statistically significant(P < 0.05). There were no significant differences of organizational management, professional interest, career development, interpersonal relationship, external environment and doctor-patient communication among physicians in different ages(P > 0.05), while the differences of those aspects among physicians with different education levels were statistically significant(P < 0.05). The doctor-patient relationship scores were significantly related to the professional interest, doctor-patient communication and total occupational stress scores(r=0.532-0.825, P < 0.01).

Conclusion  Age, education, and professional title of neurologists may have an impact on their occupational stress. Excessive workload was the main cause of occupational stress. Occupational stress was related to the doctor-patient relationship.