An Empirical Investigation on Healthcare Professionals' Work Ethic and Ethical Attitudes: The Impact of Leadership Qualities on Ethics Construct and Professional Behaviors

Abstract

The ability to act ethically is essential for providing high-quality treatment, yet there is a dearth of qualitative research on healthcare practitioners' perceptions of ethical competence. In this study, the ethical competence of healthcare practitioners was examined in the context of student healthcare. The way healthcare is delivered is changing, calling for adjustments to descriptions of and frameworks for ethical leadership. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between various leadership styles and healthcare professionals' conceptions of and attitudes toward work ethics. Participants in a cross-sectional study that employed the snowball sampling technique were healthcare professionals. The survey used in this study was divided into two sections: the first section collected data on the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, and the second section contained three validated assessment scales, including inquiries about work ethics, ethical attitudes for public health professionals, and leadership abilities. Higher work ethics and a higher intrinsic work motivation subscale were significantly correlated with high leadership administrative skills (Beta = 6.04, p = 0.019 and Beta = 2.55, p 0.001, respectively). However, a lower intrinsic work motivation subscale was associated with higher leadership conceptual skills (Beta = 1.07, p = 0.027). Stronger leadership and administrative skills were found to be significantly correlated with higher ethical attitudes scores (Beta = 28.39, p 0.001). The work ethic in the delivery of various public health services is significantly improved by higher administrative leadership. Leadership abilities can considerably predict an individual's ethical attitude and professional behavior and are not restricted to a particular profession, experience, or stage of a person's career in the healthcare industry