[The professional and family characteristics, difficulties, contentment and resources of physicians working at level 3 neonatal intensive care centres. General overview in Hungary].

INTRODUCTION: A survey that investigates the situation of physicians working at neonatal intensive care (NIC) centres has not been made since 1997.

AIM: To give an overview of the sociodemographic characteristics; personal and professional problems; the satisfaction with their job and family roles; their levels of healthy lifestyle; resources in the families of physicians working at NIC.

METHOD: We have made an examination in Hungary at NIC among physicians from April 2015 till January 2016, with an anonym self-fill-in questionnaire.

RESULTS: The physicians involved in the research (n = 111) are representatively middle-aged people. They are well-qualified and hold a subordinate post. Most of them have second jobs. The manager and deputy-manager positions are characteristic for the men. Most of them live in family. The main problems for them are financial and professional difficulties, not the family or personal problems. They have conflicts in families because of finding partners and having children as well as job problems. They are satisfied with their parenting, partnership and professional roles but they are not contented with their family role as a financial safety provider person and as a person living a healthy life. In difficult situations in their life, they can count on friends and family members, furthermore they can rely on their workmates and superiors.

CONCLUSION: It is the first research that focuses on the general situation of physicians working at level 3 NIC centres. This is the first time when a survey investigates their professional-personal-family life. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(16): 628-635.