Influence of the Professional Environment on the Motivation and Behaviour of General Practitioners in Bulgaria

Abstract

Abstract Introduction. This article summarizes the findings of a study about the influence of the factors of external professional environment on the professional motivation and behaviour of Bulgarian general practitioners (GP). Methods. A representative sample of a total of 4698 GPs in the country was involved in the survey. A special questionnaire was utilized, including 15 factors of external professional environment; these were subdivided into 4 groups on the basis of their nature: financial and economic; legal and regulatory, moral and ethical; and psychological. Their evaluation of the influence of these factors on the professional behaviour and of the factors’ weight was “taken” by means of a direct anonymous survey of 243 General Practitioners (5.2 % of the total number). Results. The findings of the study indicate that the professional environment in which doctors work affects adversely their motivation and conduct. The majority of the factors examined have a predominantly negative effectwith the exception of the financial and economic ones. Conclussion. GPs are of the opinion that most influential for their behaviour are the financial and economic factors (net profit; how much they get paid for their activities).