A report published by The Health Foundation last year found that Australian General Practitioners are among the happiest in the world.
The report was based on a 2015 survey of 12,049 GPs across 11 countries by the US-based Commonwealth Fund which conducts surveys of health care consumers, health professionals, and health system leaders. The survey of primary care physicians is conducted every three years.
Out of the 11 countries included, Australia sat second behind only Norway in terms of GP satisfaction with practicing medicine where more than a third of Australian General Practitioners stated they were very satisfied.
This is an increase in satisfaction with practicing medicine on the 2012 survey from 80% to 88%. There has also been an increase in the percentage of Australian GPs agreeing that the current healthcare system works well and only minor changes are needed, up from 45% in 2012 to 48% in 2015.
A possible driver for happier Australian GPs is that the average consultation time of 15 minutes is longer than the international average. Consultation times in the UK average 10.6 minutes and in Germany 10.3 minutes. It is thought that longer appointments are associated with greater GP satisfaction in terms of spending time with patients.
Although not performing as well as some other countries in the use of information technology, Australia still scored above 90% for use of electronical patient medical records in GP practice.
Australia also scored highly for GP’s ability to general a clinical summary to give to the patient. However, the research showed Australia has poor performance in the coordination of care area with less than 20% of GPs receiving notification patients have been seen at hospital emergency departments.
Australian GPs also reported finding it difficult to coordinate care with social services or other community providers and a high percentage of Australian General Practitioners felt patients experienced problems due to poorly coordinated care.
Overall Australia had the largest percentage of respondents indicating that they found working in general practice not too stressful or not at all stressful.
With a greater opportunity for better work-life balance, a vast array of leisure pursuits and more opportunity for an outdoor orientated lifestyle, it is no wonder Australian General Practitioners are among the happiest in the world.
Whether you are a scuba-diving physician seeking a position near the Great Barrier Reef or you prefer a busy practice in Sydney, we have many GP jobs in Australia available, so feel free to browse our selection of job vacancies today.