Assessment of Perceived Work Ability and Its Determinants among Healthcare Providers

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare providers are at high risk of occupational stress, burnout,health hazards and job dissatisfaction which can have harmful consequences on theirhealth, work ability and professional efficiency. Therefore, it is important to adoptstrategies for the promotion of healthy working conditions and improvement of theirwork ability. Aim of work: To assess the perceived work ability and its dimensionsamong the healthcare providers at Minia city, Egypt and identifies its relationship with socio-demographics, work-related factors and chronic diseases. Materials andmethods: In a cross-sectional study among 233 healthcare providers, data about sociodemographics,history of chronic diseases, work-related factors and the Work AbilityIndex (WAI) questionnaire were collected during an interview with the participants.Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the determinantsof WAI. Results: The study included 145 (62.2%) nurses, 46 (19.8%) physicians and42 (18%) technicians. The mean WAI score was 40.6 (± 4.6) and the participantswere categorized based on their work ability into poor (14.1%), suboptimal (58.4%)and optimal (27.5%). There were significant differences in the WAI scores and mostdimensions of work ability between different age groups. In the final multivariableanalysis: age, sex, work category and chronic disorders (including musculoskeletal,cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal) were the significant predictors of workability among the studied healthcare providers. Conclusion: Low work ability amonghealth care providers was significantly associated with age, sex, work category, andchronic disease conditions. Therefore, promoting health, managing and preventingchronic diseases particularly at old age is essential in designing effective interventionsto maintain and improve the work ability of healthcare providers.