فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of the rheumatology workforce in Iran. This survey was conducted by Iranian Rheumatology Associations (IRA). The questionnaire prepared for this study included the demographic characteristics, the duration of employment, the workload, the amount of monthly income and the job satisfaction of rheumatologists. Two hundred twenty-six (74.4%) of 312 IRA member rheumatologists completed the questionnaire. The mean ± SD age was 49.7 ± 7.4 years, 134 (59.3%) were female. Rheumatologists worked a median of 52 hours per week. The median monthly income of rheumatologists was 1192 US dollars. Only 0.9% and 6.2% of participants agreed or somewhat agreed that their income was appropriate compared with other internal medicine subspecialities. The monthly income and job satisfaction of female rheumatologists were significantly lower than male rheumatologists. Considering the population of Iran in 2022, the number of rheumatologists per 100,000 people is 0.37 (1 per 270000). Among all rheumatologists, 35.8% believed that there is a need for a rheumatology workforce in their city now and 50.9% believed that there is a need for a rheumatology workforce in their city in the next 10 years. Only 28.3% saw the prospects of the field of rheumatology as positive in the next 10 years, and 47.3% thought about immigration. Our findings highlight the shortage of rheumatologists and physician burnout in Iran. The low income and burnout may reduce the retention and productivity of the current workforce.