British GPs are among the unhappiest in the world – but not as unhappy as German GPs, according to a new analysis.

In a survey of 11 developed countries, more than 37% of German GPs were found to be unhappy with their jobs. This compared with 34.9% of British GPs, 34.5% of US GPs and 33.8% of those in France.

The happiest GPs are found in countries such as Australia and Norway, where just 8.1% of doctors were dissatisfied with general practice, according to the analysis, published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

The researchers, from the Centre for Primary Care and Public Health in Lausanne, Switzerland, sought to identify factors that contributed to GP job satisfaction. They concluded that high workloads, heavy administrative burdens and difficulty in offering same-day appointments all contribute to dissatisfaction. Delays in receiving hospital discharge notices were also a factor.

The least happy doctors were middle-aged and working alone in urban areas, they found.
The findings come from an analysis of the 2015 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians, involving more than 12,000 doctors.

Led by Dr Christine Cohidon, the researchers write: “Using electronic health records and having an in-practice case manager were linked to higher satisfaction. Creating changes such as forming group practices, employing case managers, using electronic health records and reducing workloads could reduce dissatisfaction levels.”