Work–Life Balance Among Medical Professionals in Indian Corporate Hospitals: A Systematic Review of Global Evidence, Evolving Dimensions, and Emerging Research Priorities
Authors: Shobha Rani Pilla¹* and A. Narasimha Rao²
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19097026
Page No: 33-55
Abstract
Background: The erosion of work–life balance (WLB) among medical professionals has emerged as one of the most consequential and under-addressed challenges in contemporary healthcare management. Despite a growing international evidence base on physician burnout and occupational distress, the literature remains methodologically fragmented and geographically concentrated. Most notably, India's rapidly expanding corporate hospital sector now the primary employer of specialist physicians in urban India has attracted virtually no scholarly attention in the peer-reviewed WLB literature. Objective: This systematic review synthesises peer-reviewed evidence published between 2015 and 2024 on WLB among medical professionals. It aims to map the determinants and consequences of WLB deficits in global healthcare contexts, identify consistent patterns across demographic and geographic subgroups, and articulate the critical research gaps that remain unaddressed with particular emphasis on specialist physicians in Indian corporate hospitals. Methods: A PRISMA-aligned systematic search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and EBSCO using structured Boolean queries. Forty-three studies published between 2015 and 2024 were selected through a two-stage screening and quality appraisal process using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and AMSTAR-2 checklist. Data were extracted into a standardised matrix and synthesised through iterative thematic analysis. Results: Seven coherent themes emerged: (1) workload and time pressure as the universal primary driver of WLB deficits; (2) gender disparities and the 'double duty' burden on female physicians; (3) organisational culture as a critical enabler or barrier; (4) burnout as the bestevidenced outcome; (5) job satisfaction and workforce retention as downstream consequences; (6) COVID-19 as a systemic stress multiplier; and (7) cross-cultural and healthcare-system variations in WLB outcomes. Six significant research gaps were identified, with the Indian corporate hospital context representing the most prominent empirical lacuna. Conclusions: WLB deficits among medical professionals are structural products of organizational design, not personal failings. Improving physician WLB requires simultaneous AHURI Final Report Journal | ISSN: 1834-7223 | Impact Factor: 5.7 Volume 19 Issue 3 2026 | Page No:32structural interventions addressing workload regulation, schedule control, gender equity in HR policy, and organisational culture. The Indian corporate hospital sector urgently needs contextspecific empirical research to support evidence-based policy reform.
