title: Financial characteristics and satisfaction of physicians practicing in Lebanon: a survey study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the financial characteristics and level of satisfaction of physicians practicing in Lebanon.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an anonymous, interviewer-administered phone survey of physicians practicing medicine in Lebanon. We conducted both descriptive and regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 778 invited physicians, 546 participated in the survey (70% response rate). Their mean age was 47.4 and they were predominantly male (85.9%) and married (87.0%). Reported monthly income varied widely with 47.2% earning less than US$ 2,000, 46.3% earning between $ 2,000 and $ 6,000 and 6.3% earning more than $ 6,000. Only 14.2%, 4.1%, and 3.1% respectively reported having life insurance, disability insurance and a retirement plan. A quarter of participants reported being either somewhat unsatisfied (17.6%) or very unsatisfied (8.1%) with their medical career. A lower degree of satisfaction in professional career was independently associated with female physicians, graduation from a Western European medical school and a lower monthly income. As for the perception of own career's future, 36.7% thought there was no possibility of improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  About half of physicians practicing in Lebanon report earning less than US$ 2,000 per month and about a quarter are not satisfied with their professional career.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, State University of New York City, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA. elieakl@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Elie A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Akl
authors.forename: Khalil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: El-Asmar
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maroun
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khater-Menassa
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adibs
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007861:Lebanon; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires