Face-to-face communication among healthcare professionals is a key contributor to job satisfaction at primary care clinics, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The study — by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison — surveyed 143 healthcare workers, including clinical staff and physicians, at five southern Wisconsin primary care clinics. Two of the surveyed clinics were urban, two suburban and one rural.
On a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest satisfaction, researchers found that average job satisfaction of primary care health professionals was 5.8.
Primary care clinicians and staff who experienced frequent face-to-face communication showed greater job satisfaction compared to those who did not, according to the study led by Marlon Mundt, associate professor of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Researchers also found that surveyed healthcare professionals who had frequent electronic communication did not have significantly greater overall job satisfaction compared to those who didn't.
"Interventions targeting professional [face-to-face] communication networks might improve healthcare employee job satisfaction at primary care clinics," the study concluded.
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