Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians
Background Despite the high prevalence of mental stress among physicians, reliable screening tools are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the capability of the Physician Well-Being Index (PWBI) in identifying distress and adverse consequences among Chinese physicians.Methods This cross-sectional o...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Annals of Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2476042 |
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| author | Zejun Li Peng Pu Min Wu Xin Wang Huixue Xu Xiaoyu Zhang Qijian Deng Winson Fuzun Yang Yueheng Liu Qianjin Wang Manyun Li Yuzhu Hao Li He Yunfei Wang Qiuxia Wu Yi-Yuan Tang Tieqiao Liu |
| author_facet | Zejun Li Peng Pu Min Wu Xin Wang Huixue Xu Xiaoyu Zhang Qijian Deng Winson Fuzun Yang Yueheng Liu Qianjin Wang Manyun Li Yuzhu Hao Li He Yunfei Wang Qiuxia Wu Yi-Yuan Tang Tieqiao Liu |
| author_sort | Zejun Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Despite the high prevalence of mental stress among physicians, reliable screening tools are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the capability of the Physician Well-Being Index (PWBI) in identifying distress and adverse consequences among Chinese physicians.Methods This cross-sectional online survey recruited 2803 physicians from Southern Mainland China via snowball sampling between October and December 2020. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, the PWBI, mental distress (including quality of life [QOL], burnout, sleepiness, fatigue and suicidal ideation) and adverse outcomes (medical errors and turnover intention) were collected. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used for data analysis.Results Seven items of the PWBI (emotional exhaustion, depression, stress, poor mental and physical QOL, low work meaning and dissatisfaction with work-life integration) were independently associated with low QOL (all p < 0.05). Physicians with lower QOL were more likely to endorse each item (OR: 1.76-5.86) and less likely to have favourable index scores (all p < 0.001). Assuming a prevalence of 29.2% for low QOL, the PWBI could reduce the post-test probability to 6.9% or increase it to 70.8%. Physicians scoring ≥4 on the PWBI were at increased risk (likelihood ratio >1) for experiencing various mental distress, with sensitivity exceeding 80% in detecting burnout, depression, high stress and anxiety. Additionally, the PWBI score helped stratify physicians’ likelihood of reporting medical errors and turnover intention.Conclusions This study provides preliminary insights into the validity and utility of the 9-item PWBI as a screening tool for assessing distress and well-being among Chinese physicians, helping identify those at higher risk of medical errors or turnover. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4d891a9b640e497fabb6991a0a9d3c6f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0785-3890 1365-2060 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-4d891a9b640e497fabb6991a0a9d3c6f2025-08-20T03:05:33ZengTaylor & Francis GroupAnnals of Medicine0785-38901365-20602025-12-0157110.1080/07853890.2025.2476042Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physiciansZejun Li0Peng Pu1Min Wu2Xin Wang3Huixue Xu4Xiaoyu Zhang5Qijian Deng6Winson Fuzun Yang7Yueheng Liu8Qianjin Wang9Manyun Li10Yuzhu Hao11Li He12Yunfei Wang13Qiuxia Wu14Yi-Yuan Tang15Tieqiao Liu16Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The Third People’s Hospital of Qujing, Qujing, Yunnan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USADepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaCollege of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USADepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaBackground Despite the high prevalence of mental stress among physicians, reliable screening tools are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the capability of the Physician Well-Being Index (PWBI) in identifying distress and adverse consequences among Chinese physicians.Methods This cross-sectional online survey recruited 2803 physicians from Southern Mainland China via snowball sampling between October and December 2020. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, the PWBI, mental distress (including quality of life [QOL], burnout, sleepiness, fatigue and suicidal ideation) and adverse outcomes (medical errors and turnover intention) were collected. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used for data analysis.Results Seven items of the PWBI (emotional exhaustion, depression, stress, poor mental and physical QOL, low work meaning and dissatisfaction with work-life integration) were independently associated with low QOL (all p < 0.05). Physicians with lower QOL were more likely to endorse each item (OR: 1.76-5.86) and less likely to have favourable index scores (all p < 0.001). Assuming a prevalence of 29.2% for low QOL, the PWBI could reduce the post-test probability to 6.9% or increase it to 70.8%. Physicians scoring ≥4 on the PWBI were at increased risk (likelihood ratio >1) for experiencing various mental distress, with sensitivity exceeding 80% in detecting burnout, depression, high stress and anxiety. Additionally, the PWBI score helped stratify physicians’ likelihood of reporting medical errors and turnover intention.Conclusions This study provides preliminary insights into the validity and utility of the 9-item PWBI as a screening tool for assessing distress and well-being among Chinese physicians, helping identify those at higher risk of medical errors or turnover. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2476042Chinese physiciansPhysician Well-Being Indexmental distressquality of lifeturnover intention |
| spellingShingle | Zejun Li Peng Pu Min Wu Xin Wang Huixue Xu Xiaoyu Zhang Qijian Deng Winson Fuzun Yang Yueheng Liu Qianjin Wang Manyun Li Yuzhu Hao Li He Yunfei Wang Qiuxia Wu Yi-Yuan Tang Tieqiao Liu Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians Annals of Medicine Chinese physicians Physician Well-Being Index mental distress quality of life turnover intention |
| title | Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians |
| title_full | Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians |
| title_fullStr | Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians |
| title_short | Ability and utility of the Physician Well-Being Index to identify distress among Chinese physicians |
| title_sort | ability and utility of the physician well being index to identify distress among chinese physicians |
| topic | Chinese physicians Physician Well-Being Index mental distress quality of life turnover intention |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2476042 |
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