ArticleBMJ open2023
Changes in weekly working hours, proportion of doctors with hours above the limitations of European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and time spent on direct patient care for doctors in Norway from 2016 to 2019: a study based on repeated surveys.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Burnout prevalence in 2012, 2018 and 2024 among general practitioners in Norway and factors associated with burnout.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Well-functioning depression care collaboration: general practitioners' experiences with specialized mental health services.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Doctors' job shifts between non-profit and for-profit healthcare organisations: evidence from a national panel of doctors.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Changes in working hours and burnout levels among physicians: a cohort study.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Norwegian Anaesthesiologist's Perspectives on Perioperative Allergies and Penicillin Allergy Evaluations: A National Survey.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Job satisfaction in doctors with suicidal ideation: a national longitudinal panel study 2002-2021.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- «Doctors must live»: a care ethics inquiry into physicians' late modern suffering.Medicine, health care, and philosophy · 2025Article
- Reducing strain on primary healthcare systems through innovative models of care: the impact of direct access physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions-an interrupted time series analysis.Family medicine and community health · 2024Article
- Article
- Deconstructing the masculinized assumption of the medical profession: narratives of Japanese physician fathers.BMC medical education · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo compare the total weekly working hours, proportions with work hours above the limitations of European working time directive (EWTD) and time spent on direct patient care in 2016 and 2019 for doctors working in different job positions in Norway.
designRepeated postal surveys in 2016 and 2019.
settingNorway.
participantsRepresentative samples of doctors; the response rates were 73.1% (1604/2195) in 2016 and 72.5% (1511/2084) in 2019.
main outcome measuresSelf-reported weekly working hours, proportions with hours above the limitations of EWTD defined as >48 hours/week and time spent on direct patient care. ANALYSES: Linear mixed models with estimated marginal means and proportions.
resultsFrom 2016 to 2019, the weekly working hours increased significantly for male general practitioners (GPs) (48.7 hours to 50.9 hours) and male hospital doctors in leading positions (48.2 hours to 50.5 hours), and significantly decreased for female specialists in private practice (48.6 hours to 44.9 hours). The proportion of time spent on direct patient care was noted to be similar between genders and over time. In 2019, it was higher for specialists in private practice (66.4%) and GPs (65.5%) than for doctors in other positions, such as senior hospital consultants (43.5%), specialty registrars (39.8%) and hospital doctors in leading positions (34.3%). Working >48 hours/week increased significantly for both male and female GPs (m: 45.2% to 57.7%; f: 27.8% to 47.0%) and hospital doctors in leading positions (m: 34.4% to 57.1%; f: 17.4% to 46.4%), while it significantly decreased for female specialty registrars (13.2% to 6.9%).
conclusionsWorking hours increased significantly for GPs and hospital doctors in leading positions from 2016 to 2019, resulting in increased proportions of doctors with work hours above the EWTD. As work hours above the EWTD can be harmful for health personnel and for safety at work, initiatives to reduce long working weeks are needed.
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