Background: The number of physicians sued for malpractice is increasing, and this situation causes a fear of malpractice in physicians. The aim of this study is to determine the malpractice fear and the level of job satisfaction among emergency physicians and to examine the relationship between these factors.
Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study has been conducted with emergency physicians at four different training and research hospitals in Ankara, Türkiye. Malpractice fear and job satisfaction have been evaluated with Malpractice Fear Scale (MFS) and Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS). Questionnaire method was used in the study.
Results: The research has been completed with 143 physicians [mean age: 33.10±7.0 years, age range: 24-51 years, male: 107 (74.8%)]. It was found that 19.5% of the participants were reported for malpractice, 11.8% were sued, and no one was penalized. It has been determined that the participants scored 3.6±0.9 points on the MFS and 2.4±0.7 points on the JSS in 1-5 point range. A negative, moderate, and statistically significant correlation has been found between the MFS and the JSS (r= -0.551; p<0.01).
Conclusion: In our study, it has been found that emergency physicians have a high level of malpractice fear and a low level of job satisfaction. There is no statistically significant difference in the level of malpractice fear and job satisfaction according to the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. Increased fear of malpractice decreases the job satisfaction.