Nationwide survey of internal medicine hospitalists in Korea: motivation and sustainability of a hospitalist career
- Author:
Seung Jun HAN
1
;
Dong-Ho SHIN
;
Nak-Hyun KIM
;
Eun Sun KIM
;
Junhwan KIM
;
Hye Won KIM
;
Sung do MOON
;
Sang Wook PARK
;
Jung Hun OHN
;
Chang-Yun WOO
;
Ki Byung LEE
;
Jae Hyun LEE
;
Han Sung LEE
;
Yejee LIM
;
Seungha HWANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:2
- From:The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine 2023;38(3):434-443
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background/Aims:Although a management fee for hospitalist service was established in Korea, the number of hospitalists required for the system to run remains outmatched.
Methods:In January 2020 and February 2022, before and after the establishment of the hospitalist fee system respectively, cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among internal medicine board-certified hospitalists.
Results:There were 59 and 64 respondents in the 2020 and 2022 surveys, respectively. The percentage of respondents who cited financial benefits as a motive for becoming a hospitalist was higher in the 2022 survey than in the 2020 survey (34.4% vs. 10.2%; p = 0.001). The annual salary of respondents was also higher in the 2022 survey than in the 2020 survey (mean, 182.9 vs. 163.0 million in South Korean Won; p = 0.006). A total of 81.3% of the respondents were willing to continue a hospitalist career in the 2022 survey. In multivariate regression analysis, the possibility of being appointed as a professor was found to be an independent predictive factor of continuing a hospitalist career (odds ratio, 4.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–14.75; p = 0.037).
Conclusions:Since the establishment of the hospitalist fee system, monetary compensation has improved for hospitalists. The possibility of being appointed as a professor could predict long-term work as hospitalists.
