Participants

One thousand four hundred eight participants (701 men and 707 women) from a population of 4350 doctors currently enrolled on an RCPI PCS agreed to take part. Participants were also classified according to their current primary role as follows: consultants, NCHDs, and others. Consultants are senior hospital doctors who have completed all specialist training and are enrolled on the specialist register in their selected specialty. NCHDs are junior hospital doctors who are working in a hospital under the supervision of a consultant and gaining postgraduate medical training and experience. NCHDs who are not enrolled in a formal postgraduate training program must enroll in a PCS relevant to their intended practice. Those enrolled in RCPI PCSs are generally working in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, pathology, and emergency medicine. Doctors not engaged in frontline patient care and who are neither consultants nor NCHDS formed the third group; this group may refer to doctors working in a wide range of areas, from public health, occupational health, research, management, and other areas.

Note for international readers: in Ireland, primary care medicine is provided by general practitioners (GPs) who work in the community and generally do not work in hospitals. The postgraduate training program for GPs is provided by the Irish College of GPs, and as such, this group of doctors is not featured in this study.