GPs in 10 prosperous countries feel undervalued and overworked, survey finds

Primary care doctors in 10 high income nations say that they are overworked, demoralised, and undervalued, an international survey has found.

The Commonwealth Fund, a US non-profit organisation, surveyed primary care physicians in the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and Switzerland for their experiences during 2020-21, the first year of the covid pandemic.1 Nationally representative samples of practising primary care doctors were approached for the survey, with sample sizes ranging from 321 to 2092 and response rates from 6% to 40%.

In general, doctors said that they were dissatisfied with their medical practice, the care they provided to patients, their income, the amount of time they spent with each patient, their daily workload, and …