Moderating Role of Interior Amenities on Hospital Medical Directors' Patient-Related Work Stresses

Abstract

Objective: Considering hospital medical directors' work stress, this study aims to examine how interior amenities might moderate the effect of work stress on their health. Background: Previous studies have revealed that hospital medical directors—senior physicians in the management positions with high-demand jobs in clinical practices and management—had a lower self-rated health. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study and 737 hospital medical directors in Taiwan were included. A developed and structured questionnaire covered the dimensions of patient-related work stress (i.e., physician-patient relationship stress and patient condition stress), hospital interior amenities (i.e., indoor plants, aquarium, music, art and exhibitions, and private or personalized spaces that are common or surround the workplace of healthcare professionals), and self-rated health status and health complaints. Hierarchical regressions were performed. Results: Hospital medical directors' physician-patient relationship stresses were found to have more negative effects on their self-reported health status and complaints than do their patient condition stresses; however, only indoor plants were found to have moderating effects on their short-term health complaints ( p < 0.05). On the other hand, the hospital medical directors' patient condition stresses were negatively related to their short-term health complaints; however, music, art and exhibitions, and private or personalized spaces in the workplaces had moderating effects ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the unavoidable patient-related work stresses imposed on hospital medical directors, some proposed interior amenities can produce buffering effects on work stress to some extent. Future studies could focus on finding alternatives to relieve hospital medical directors' physician-patient relationship work stresses.