Internal medicine specialists' attitudes towards working part-time: a comparison between 1996 and 2004
2006

Changing Attitudes of Internal Medicine Specialists Towards Part-Time Work

Sample size: 582 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Lugtenberg Marjolein, Heiligers Phil JM, de Jong Judith D, Hingstman Lammert

Primary Institution: NIVEL – Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research

Hypothesis

Attitudes towards part-time work among internal medicine specialists have changed between 1996 and 2004.

Conclusion

Despite an increase in part-time work among specialists, acceptance of part-time practice remains limited.

Supporting Evidence

  • Attitudes towards part-time work became slightly more positive from 1996 to 2004.
  • Full-time specialists expressed concerns about part-timers' contributions to care quality.
  • Gender differences in attitudes towards part-time work diminished by 2004.
  • Age and hours worked were significant predictors of attitudes in 2004.

Takeaway

Doctors are starting to like the idea of working part-time more than they did before, but many still think it’s not a good idea for patient care.

Methodology

The study used survey data from 1996 and 2004, comparing attitudes of internal medicine specialists towards part-time work.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the self-reported nature of survey data and the exclusion of certain groups.

Limitations

The study's sample size for part-timers in 1996 was small, and the variance in attitudes between partnerships could not be estimated significantly.

Participant Demographics

The majority of participants were male, with a significant proportion of part-time workers in 2004 compared to 1996.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.026

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-6-126

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