{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T16:02:45Z","timestamp":1753891365186,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,6]],"date-time":"2025-06-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749168000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Multimorbidity is a significant challenge for primary care. No previous research has examined self-efficacy in managing patients with multimorbidity among Portuguese family physicians.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study aims to assess self-efficacy levels in family physicians and identifying significant associations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Analytical cross-sectional study conducted among Portuguese family physicians from June to August 2024. A non-probability snowball sampling method was used to distribute a web-based survey. Ten independent variables (sex, age, marital status, children, professional stage, years of experience, workplace, work-family conflict, perceived organizational support and physician burden) were studied with the outcome variable \u2013 perceived self-efficacy. Multiple logistic regression model was performed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>102 family physicians completed the online questionnaire, with a median age of 38 years and a median work experience of 10.5 years. The majority of the sample were female (78.4%), married\/cohabiting (70.6%), and employed in family health units (87.3%). Sixty-nine participants (67.6%) perceived their self-efficacy in multimorbidity management as high (Likert scale ratings 4 or 5). In the multivariate analysis being single, divorced, or widowed; having children; being a family physician trainee; and experiencing physician burden were associated with a reduced odds of perceived self-efficacy in managing multimorbidity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The findings of the present study highlight the importance of addressing physician burden to improve perceived self-efficacy in managing multimorbidity. Therefore, efforts should focus on reducing this burden by alleviating workplace stress and providing targeted training in managing multimorbidity. Improving self-efficacy is expected to encourage physicians to engage in proactive, patient-centered care, leading to better health outcomes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1596652","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,6]],"date-time":"2025-06-06T05:22:28Z","timestamp":1749187348000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Factors associated with family physicians\u2019 perceived self-efficacy in multimorbidity management"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Filipe","family":"Prazeres","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Andreia","family":"Teixeira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1370\/afm.983","article-title":"Defining comorbidity: Implications for understanding health and health services.","volume":"7","author":"Valderas","year":"2009","journal-title":"Ann Family Med."},{"journal-title":"Multimorbidity: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care.","year":"2016","key":"B2"},{"journal-title":"Multimorbidity: A Priority for Global Health research.","year":"2018","key":"B3"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101860","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2023.101860","article-title":"Global and regional prevalence of multimorbidity in the adult population in community settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","volume":"57","author":"Chowdhury","year":"2023","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.20344\/amp.11227","article-title":"[Multimorbidity in Portugal: Results from the first national health examination survey].","volume":"32","author":"Quinaz Romana","year":"2019","journal-title":"Acta Med Port."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e009287","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2015-009287","article-title":"Prevalence of multimorbidity in the adult population attending primary care in Portugal: A cross-sectional study.","volume":"5","author":"Prazeres","year":"2015","journal-title":"BMJ Open."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e003610","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2013-003610","article-title":"GPs\u2019 perspectives on the management of patients with multimorbidity: Systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research.","volume":"3","author":"Sinnott","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMJ Open."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1186\/s12875-020-01197-8","article-title":"General practitioner strategies for managing patients with multimorbidity: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.","volume":"21","author":"Damarell","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Family Pract."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E1097","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph13111097","article-title":"The Knowledge, awareness, and practices of portuguese general practitioners regarding multimorbidity and its management: Qualitative perspectives from open-ended questions.","volume":"13","author":"Prazeres","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B10","first-page":"107","article-title":"Should family doctors manage multimorbidities?","volume":"4","author":"McWalter","year":"2020","journal-title":"World J Adv Healthc Res."},{"key":"B11","article-title":"Self-efficacy.","author":"Bandura","year":"1994","journal-title":"Encyclopedia of Human Behavior."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.35654\/ijnhs.v7i3.780","article-title":"Predictor of self-efficacy, and working attitude working motivation on improving quality of services.","volume":"7","author":"Trisnadi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Health Serv."},{"key":"B13","first-page":"539","article-title":"Relationship of self efficacy and burnout among physicians.","volume":"2","author":"Aftab","year":"2012","journal-title":"Acad Res Int."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9714","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19159714","article-title":"Factors associated with burnout among resident physicians responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: A 2-month longitudinal observation study.","volume":"19","author":"Ju","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"784228","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.784228","article-title":"Social context, self-efficacy, and patient-centered service behavior of medical professionals: The moderating role of achievement motivation.","volume":"13","author":"Huang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/21582440241252507","article-title":"Does professional self-efficacy provide a shield in troubling situations? 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