Survey study on the emotional labor of physicians in Korea

Background: Currently, research on emotional labor is increasing. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of emotional labor of Korean physicians and analyze its differences according to the physicians’ individual and group characteristics.Methods: The 2020 Korean Physician Survey was conducted from November 19, 2020, to January 10, 2021, through an online questionnaire. Participants were selected from the member database of the Korean Medical Association by stratified quota sampling. The target population was 57,714, out of which 6,507 participants answered the questionnaire. Out of the 6,507 participants, 5,563 were included for the analysis as they were clinically experienced in patient care.Results: It was found that Korean physicians engaged significantly in emotional labor (average score=70.03). Further, the level of emotional labor was high in women and physicians <40 years of age, as well as in fellow clinicians, physicians in clinic, physicians in private medical institutions, and psychiatrists.Conclusion: Education, legal protection, mandatory holidays, and counseling programs might be necessary to manage the emotional labor of physicians.