Economic sentiment in the second quarter of 2023: Upward trend in the medical profession has stopped
12.07.2023 15:13
After a slight upward trend at the beginning of the year, the economic sentiment among practicing physicians has deteriorated again. The sentiment barometer (formerly the Medical Climate Index) fell to a value of -31.3 in the second quarter of 2023.
"This is one of the lowest values since we began our survey over 15 years ago," reports Prof. Dr. med. Dr. rer. pol. Konrad Obermann, research director at the Stiftung Gesundheit (Health Foundation). The mood has deteriorated across all medical specialties – most markedly among general practitioners and least among psychological psychotherapists.
Laws, personnel situation or digitalization: New background question reveals reasons for mood development
To identify the key factors driving sentiment among physicians, the Health Foundation has added a new question: It examines how individual areas impact the work situation. "The very first survey reveals a very interesting picture," says Obermann: "Almost three-quarters of physicians (72.0 percent) state that political decisions, legal regulations, and/or requirements from chambers and KVs have a negative impact on their work situation. This factor thus leads by a clear margin; all others account for less than 50 percent."
Medical Climate Index now called Mood Barometer
This study series by the Stiftung Gesundheit (Health Foundation), previously known as the "Medical Climate Index," has been renamed with its current edition: After 17 years, it is now called the Mood Barometer. "This term immediately makes it clear what the survey is about: We show the current mood of practicing physicians and whether they are looking to the future with confidence or concern," says Obermann.