@article {Grieve547, author = {S Grieve}, title = {Measuring morale--does practice area deprivation affect doctors{\textquoteright} well-being?}, volume = {47}, number = {422}, pages = {547--552}, year = {1997}, publisher = {Royal College of General Practitioners}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Morale is a perennial concern in general practice and, over the years, a variety of tools have been used to examine doctors{\textquoteright} mental well-being in a range of psychological and sociological studies. Despite perceived associations between low morale and practice area deprivation, this has not been investigated previously. AIM: To devise and apply a measure of mental well-being in general practitioners, and to use this to investigate the effect of practice area deprivation. METHOD: A questionnaire was devised and piloted, then used in an anonymous postal survey of a random sample of 500 London general practitioners, with questions on demography, workload, practice characteristics, patient centredness, and practice area deprivation. RESULTS: A total of 334 (68\%) doctors replied to the questionnaire. Of these, 45\% often feel exhausted, 46\% are often frustrated by trivial consultations, and a third are seriously disenchanted with work. The resulting well-being score had a normal distribution, was reproducible (test-retest reliability = 0.91), and was internally consistent (Cronbach{\textquoteright}s alpha = 0.76). Comments from respondents suggested good face validity. Low well-being was not associated with practice area deprivation, but was associated with time stress, small practices and primary care teams, and lack of patient centredness. CONCLUSION: The instrument provided a useful tool for examining doctors{\textquoteright} well-being and the associations thereof. Well-being was not associated with practice area deprivation. Help for small primary care teams and measures to reduce time stress should help to improve morale.}, issn = {0960-1643}, URL = {https://bjgp.org/content/47/422/547}, eprint = {https://bjgp.org/content/47/422/547.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of General Practice} }