Many primary care physicians are not satisfied with their profession and would not recommend medicine as a career, according to a survey released on Monday by the Physicians Foundation, Reuters/Boston Globe reports. For the survey, the Physicians Foundation, a group founded in 2003 as part of a legal settlement, mailed questionnaires to 270,000 primary care physicians and received 12,000 responses. Researchers also mailed questionnaires to 50,000 specialists.
According to the survey:
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* More than 90% of primary care physicians said that they have spent an increased amount of time on nonclinical paperwork in the last three years;
* 63% said that nonclinical paperwork has caused them to spend less time with patients;
* 76% said that they work at "full capacity" or are "overextended and overworked";
* 20% said that they plan to reduce their patient load;
* 10% said that they plan to work part-time;
* 13% said that they plan to take positions without active patient care;
* 11% said they plan to retire;
* 78% said that a shortage of primary care physicians exists; and
* 60% said that they would not recommend medicine as a career.
"The survey adds to building evidence that not enough internal medicine or family practice doctors are trained or practicing" in the U.S., although "there are plenty of specialist physicians," Reuters/Globe reports.
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