[When time counts--hospital physicians' use of time and work assignments].

BACKGROUND

Various studies show that physicians spend less time with their patients and that their productivity is declining. This has raised questions about physicians' use of their time.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 91 physicians in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Women's Health at the University Hospital of Trondheim participated in a one-week registration of use of time and work assignments--a combination of field observation and self-reported use of time.

RESULTS

The physicians spent on average 60% of their time on clinically related assignments, 25% of this in direct contact with patients. However, there were great variations between physicians after controls had been made for selected organisational conditions. These variations indicate difficulties in using average scores of physicians' use of their time.

INTERPRETATION

Work measurement is related to the organisational theory associated with the Scientific Management school of thought. It is not evident that this is a fruitful approach to ensuring effectiveness or to setting norms for expected use of time. The method does, however, provide a way of describing how physicians' work is organised.