Differences in Health Condition, Effort–Reward Imbalance, and Quality of Working Life Among Medical Professionals Between the Philippines and Japan: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Objectives: This study aimed to assess differences in health condition, effort–reward imbalance (ERI), and quality of working life (QWL) between medical professionals (MPs) in the Philippines and Japan. Methods: After adjustment using propensity score matching, 86 MPs in the Philippines and 598 MPs in Japan were included in the main analysis, which assessed health condition (General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-30], subjective health, and sleep), ERI, and QWL. ERI was evaluated on the basis of the perceived effort required for work and the reward received, whereas QWL focused on stress in working environment. Results: MPs in the Philippines had poorer subjective health (23.5% vs. 12.9%, p < 0.01) compared with their Japanese counterparts. MPs in the Philippines significantly had poorer subjective health (23.5% vs. 12.9%, p < 0.01), higher proportion of ERI due to higher effort (12.9% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.01) and higher QWL scores compared with those in Japan. This trend was particularly prevalent among doctors in the Philippines. Gender-based disparities in domestic burden were observed among Japanese MPs (female; 4.0 ± 2.1 h vs. male; 2.7 ± 1.8 h, p < 0.01), which was potentially linked to worse working life balance and health status in female. Conclusions: Our results indicated that MPs in the Philippines experienced stronger work-related stress compared with those in Japan. Despite Japanese MPs exhibiting lower proportion of ERI, gender-based disparities in domestic burden were found, potentially suggested to an imbalance of working life balance and health status between female and male MPs in Japan.