Personal values of exemplary family physicians: implications for professional satisfaction in family medicine.

BACKGROUND

Personal social values have been identified as important determinants of generalists' specialty choice. However, the personal values or "guiding principles" of generalist physicians have not been identified scientifically. To establish a benchmark, we measured the personal values of exemplary family physicians because they serve as role models for current and future physicians. We also explored the relationship between personal values and practice satisfaction.

METHODS

We obtained a list of 330 family physicians nominated for the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) Family Doctor of the Year award for the years 1988 through 1993. We asked them to complete the Schwartz Values Questionnaire, a 56-item instrument for measuring personal values. They also answered three questions concerning practice satisfaction.

RESULTS

The return rate was 83%. The physicians' mean age was 63 years. They had been in practice an average of 34 years, 93% were male, and 52% practiced in rural areas. Honesty was rated as the most important of the 56 values, and social power as the least important. Of the 10 value types (groups of common values), the responding physicians rated "Benevolence" as most important and "Power" as least important. Practice satisfaction correlated positively with the Benevolence value type (r = .21, P = .001) and negatively with the Power value type (r = -.15, P = .023).

CONCLUSIONS

Of the 10 value types, Benevolence was rated the most important and Power the least important by exemplary family physicians, and both value types also correlated, positively and negatively, respectively, with their practice satisfaction. These results have implications for the selection, training, and career satisfaction of generalist physicians.