• Guangwei Deng, Wenjun Cai, Monica Yang, Jonathan Lio, Chenpeng Feng, Xiaopeng Ma, and Liang Liang.
• School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230009, P.R. China.
• Bmc Fam Pract. 2021 Sep 24; 22 (1): 191.

BackgroundChinese residents' practical work experiences are different from those described in Western studies. To explore potential mechanisms underlying the effects of doctor-patient relationships on medical residents' work engagement, verifying a posited mediating effect of role overload, and moderating effect of conflict avoidance, in the Chinese context.MethodsBased on the conservation of resources theory, a composite model was constructed. This study's data were collected from four different Chinese tertiary hospitals; 195 residents undergoing regularization training took this survey. Hierarchical moderated and mediated regression analyses were utilized.ResultsDoctor-patient relationship were found to be positively related to residents' work engagement (β=0.31, p≤0.001). Role overload partially mediated the effect of these relationships on work engagement, and the moderating role of conflict avoidance in the relationship between doctor-patient relationship and conflict avoidance was negative.ConclusionMaintaining good doctor-patient relationship can prompt residents to increase their engagement in work in order to meet their patients' needs. Furthermore, role overload has a particular influence in early career stages. Not only is it necessary for residents to gain a sense of recognition and support while they carry out their job responsibilities, especially while dealing with complex doctor-patient relationship, but it is also important to create work environments that can help residents shape their professional competency.© 2021. The Author(s).

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