A comparative study on healthcare employee satisfaction between Japan and China.

OBJECTIVES

To explore essential characteristics of healthcare employee satisfaction by comparing Japan and China in terms of job satisfaction model, satisfaction level, and the crucial factors predicting overall job satisfaction.

METHODS

A questionnaire was developed with 35 facet-specific job-related satisfaction and 10 general satisfaction items. The Japanese survey collected 474 responses (74% response rate). Two additional items were added in the Chinese survey and 429 responses were collected (69%).

RESULTS

The same five-factor satisfaction model was acquired from both countries with an additional factor labelled "relationship with patients" for China. Applying these factors, a moderate satisfaction level was observed for all professional groups in China, whereas it varied in Japan. A moderate-to-high satisfaction was seen for physicians, a moderate level for pharmacists and technologists, and a low level for nurses. Japanese physicians were significantly more satisfied than Chinese physicians, whereas Japanese nurses were less satisfied than Chinese nurses. Both countries shared crucial predictors of overall job satisfaction that were reputation, growth and development, and work demands and workload. Additionally, financial rewards and relationship with patients were critically important for the Chinese.

CONCLUSIONS

Japanese and Chinese healthcare employees shared the job satisfaction model with an extra factor for Chinese. Satisfaction levels were similar for pharmacists and technologists in the two countries, but largely different for physicians and nurses. Because crucial satisfaction factors differed, it is suggested that strategies to improve job satisfaction should be specific to culture and profession, eg, in Chinese hospitals, management should support more to employees especially physicians for dealing with conflicts and medical disputes with patients.