Health Professionals In Public Hospitals Research Articles

Work autonomy and its associated factors among health professionals in public hospitals of North East Ethiopia

A low level of work autonomy is the bottleneck for the health service delivery and the quality of the service. Although work autonomy is the pillar of organizational commitment and a means of employee retention mechanism, information about the magnitude of work autonomy among health professionals is limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess work autonomy and its predictors among health professionals working in public hospitals of Northeast Ethiopia. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 24 to April 24, 2021, among health professionals using a stratified sampling technique. Variables with a p-value of < 0.25 in bivariable analysis were included in the multivariable analysis and variables with a p-value of < 0.05 in multivariable analysis were regarded as significantly associated factors. The overall good work autonomy in public hospitals (Dessie and Boru Meda Hospital) of North East Ethiopia was 54.5% (95% CI 54.48–54.53). Satisfaction with organizational policy and strategy (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.29–4.25), satisfaction with supervisor support (AOR 7.20, 95% CI 3.97–13.07), good health service delivery planning practice (AOR 1.88, 95%CI: 1.13–3.13), being married (AOR 4.26, 95%CI: 2.06–8.82) being pharmacy professionals (AOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.19–0.98), and being anesthesia and radiology professionals (AOR 4.66, 95% CI 1.65–13.19) were significantly associated with work autonomy of health professionals. More than half of the health professionals working in public hospitals in Northeast Ethiopia are autonomous in their work. Satisfaction with organizational policy and strategy, satisfaction with supervisor support, having good health service delivery planning practice, being married, and type of profession were significantly associated factors in public hospitals. Thus, strengthening strategies aimed at shaping poor health service delivery planning practices and dissatisfaction of employees concerning supervisor support and organizational policy might have a substantial contribution to improving the work autonomy of health professionals.

Promotion of physical activity by health professionals in a sample of six public hospitals: A cross sectional study.

Despite strong evidence of physical and mental health benefits from physical activity, participation is low. Physical activity promotion by health professionals can effectively increase physical activity participation. This study aimed to explore the frequency of physical activity promotion by health professionals in public hospitals with a focus on community-based structured exercise; and facilitators and barriers to such promotion. We surveyed health professionals (n = 100) from physiotherapy, rheumatology and rehabilitation departments at six public hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Most common respondent characteristics were physiotherapist (84%), female (68%), aged 25-34 years (45%) and treating older adults (45%). Almost all health professionals (94%) considered themselves physical activity role-models. Half (53%) reported promoting physical activity frequently/often to their clients. Those working with children with a physical disability (23%) were more likely to promote physical activity (Relative Risk 1.69, 95% CI 1.13-2.51, p = .03), than those working with adults or older adults. Half the physiotherapists (52%) reported providing tailored advice about increasing physical activity frequently/often, but only 20% provided advice about structured physical activity. Barriers reported by physiotherapists were lack of time (51%) and client's access to transport (61%). Only half the health professionals surveyed offered tailored physical activity advice to clients, and advice on structured physical activity was less common. SO WHAT?: Some promotion of physical activity by health professionals is occurring in hospital settings but more work is needed to embed this within clinical care.

Compliance with Standard Precautions and Associated Factors Among Health Professionals in Public Hospitals of East Wallaga Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Health care workers are potentially exposed to infections through contact with blood and bodily fluids while performing their duties. Compliance with the standard precautions reduces the risks of health care workers' exposure to blood and bodily fluids. However, the compliance level among health care workers is not well studied in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of compliance with standard precautions and its associated factors among health care workers in all public hospitals of East Wallaga Zone, Western Ethiopia. Multi-facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 392 health care workers, from January to February, 2022. Simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Logistic regression model was fitted to determine presence of statistically significant associations. A p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 along with the adjusted odds ratio of 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistical significance. The proportion of health care workers who comply with standard precautions was found to be 51.6% [95% CI; 46.9-56.7%]. Having positive attitude towards standard precautions (AOR=2.71; 95% C.I: 1.68-4.39), having training on standard precautions (AOR=3.27; 95% C.I: 2.019-5.29), and working in referral hospitals (AOR=1.83; 95% C.I: 1.13-2.96) were the associated factors of good compliance with standard precautions. In this study, half of the health care workers comply with standard precautions. Positive attitude, training, and level of hospitals were factors for compliance with the standard precautions. As a result, to sustain and improve compliance of health care workers on standard precautions, periodic in-service training is needed to bring about behavioral changes among health care workers, particularly for those working in other settings than referral hospitals.

Determinants of utilization of National Health Insurance Fund cover in public health facilities by public health care workers in Makueni County

Background: Robust healthcare funding systems are seen as critical for guaranteeing universal healthcare access. This implies that health services should be adequately accessible to everyone ensuring health situation doesn’t reduce the patient and their family to poverty making analysis of determinants of National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover utilization critical.Methods: Descriptive research design was used to study utilization of NHIF cover among health professionals in public hospitals in Makueni County. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample the facilities across the different levels. The study sample was 291 from a target population of 1183 health professional. The data was collected using structured questionnaires. Statistical package for social science (SPSS version 25) was used to code and analyze the raw data. Pearson's coefficient of correlation and multiple regressions were used to assess the association between determinants and NHIF utilization.Results: The study found and concluded that at the significance level of 95%, alternative insurance covers, perceived quality of health services and NHIF communication strategy significantly influenced utilization of NHIF cover by public health care workers at α=0.05. On the other hand, NHIF scheme characteristic was an insignificant determinant of utilization of NHIF cover among public health care workers in Makueni County.Conclusions: The study concludes alternative insurance covers, NHIF scheme characteristics, perceived quality of health services influenced utilization of NHIF cover and NHIF communication strategy influenced utilization of NHIF cover among health workers.

Compliance towards infection prevention measures among health professionals in public hospitals, southeast Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study with implications of COVID-19 prevention

IntroductionThe new coronavirus disease 2019 is an emerging respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious novel coronavirus which has currently overwhelmed the world. Realizing a comprehensive set of infection prevention measures is a key to minimize the spread of this virus and its impacts in all healthcare settings. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the compliance towards COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors among health professionals in selected public hospitals, southeast Ethiopia.MethodsA descriptive hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 660 health professionals in public hospitals of southeast Ethiopia from October 1 to 31, 2020. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected by interview using structured and pretested questionnaires. Ordinary logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratio. To declare the statistical significance of factors associated with the outcome variable, P-value < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval were used.ResultsA total of 654 health professionals were involved in the study; of whom, 313 participants were nurses. The overall good compliance and knowledge of health professionals regarding COVID-19 preventive measures were 21.6 and 25.5%, respectively. Working in the general hospital (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.38, 0.79), service year (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI 1.35, 3.21), knowledge (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI 1.14, 2.89), and water availability (AOR = 3.26; 95% CI 2.25, 4.72) were some of the factors found to have a statistically significant association to compliance of health professionals regarding COVID-19 preventive measures.ConclusionIn this study, nearly one fifth of health professionals had good compliance towards COVID-19 prevention practices. Thus, a consistent supply of COVID-19 prevention materials, facilities, and improving the knowledge of health professionals through on and off-job training are crucial.

Training and well-equipped facility increases the odds of skills of health professionals on helping babies breathe in public hospitals of Southern Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

BackgroundHealth professionals equipped with the adequate skills of helping baby breath remain the backbone in the health system in improving neonatal outcomes. However, there is a great controversy between studies to show the proximate factors of the skills of health care providers in helping babies breathe. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence on the current status of health care provider’s skills of helping babies breathe despite the improvement in neonatal health care services. Therefore, this study intends to fill those gaps in assessing the skills of helping babies breathe and its associated factors among health professionals in public hospitals in Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 441 health professionals from March 10 to 30, 2019. A simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants. The data were collected through pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire and observational checklist. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify significant factors for the skills of helping babies breathe by using SPSS version 25. The P-value < 0.05 used to declare statistical significance.ResultsOverall, 71.1% (95%CI: 66.2, 75.4%) of health professionals had good skills in helping babies breathe. Age group from 25 to 34 (AOR = 2.24; 95%CI: 1.04, 4.81), training on helping babies breathe (AOR = 2.69; 95%CI: 1.49, 4.87), well-equipped facility (AOR = 2.15; 95%CI: 1.09, 4.25), and adequate knowledge on helping babies breathe (AOR = 2.21; 95%CI: 1.25, 3.89) were significantly associated with a health professionals good skill on helping babies breathe.ConclusionsEven though a significant number of care providers had good skills in helping babies breathe, yet there is a need to further improve the skills of the provider in helping babies breathe. Hence, health facilities should be equipped with adequate materials and facilitate frequent training to the provider.

Access to cancer medication in public hospitals in a middle-income country: The view of stakeholder.

Access to cancer medicines is a core component of comprehensive cancer care; as such, it is included in Mexico's public health insurance: Seguro Popular de Salud (SPS). Learning about stakeholders' experiences on processes and barriers influencing access to essential cancer medicines within healthcare facilities allows identifying needed policies to improve access to cancer care. The aim of this study was to obtain the insights of health professionals in public hospitals in Mexico on how SPS influences access to cancer medicines regarding medicine selection, financing, and procurement and supply systems. The purpose is to identify policy areas that need strengthening to improve access to cancer medicines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 67 health professionals from 21 public hospitals accredited by SPS across Mexico. A framework analysis was used with categories of analysis derived from the World Health Organization's Access framework. Most stakeholders reported that the availability of listed cancer medicines was sufficient. However, cancer specialists reported that medicines coverage by SPS was restrictive covering only basic cancer care. Public hospitals followed SPS treatment protocols in selecting and prescribing cancer medicines but used different procurement procedures. When essential cancer medicines were unavailable (not listed or stocked-out), hospitals reported several strategies such as prescribing alternative therapies, resorting to direct purchases, and assisting patients in obtaining medicines elsewhere. Other reported barriers to access to treatment were: distance to health facilities, poor insurance coverage, and financial restrictions. Health professionals have encountered benefits and challenges from the implementation of SPS influencing access to cancer medicines and care in Mexico, pointing to areas in which action is necessary. Finding the right balance between expanding the range and cost of cancer treatments covered by insurance and making basic cancer care available to all is a challenge faced by Mexico and other middle-income countries.

Elements constituting a grid of key competences of health professionals in the public hospitals of Yaoundé in Cameroon: The weight of socio-cultural barriers

Researchers on skills management insist on the need to have a context-based approach. We highlight the components of a grid of key skills of health professionals in public hospitals of different categories in the city of Yaoundé in Cameroon. In order to have a global vision of the design, implementation, evaluation and practices around the key competencies of health professionals, 43 semi-directive interviews were validated with actors with different functions and positions. The data were the subject of an inductive qualitative study and a thematic content analysis. The competence of health professionals and the resulting practices are based on their ability to overcome socio-cultural barriers (values and beliefs of users, traditional practices, national regulation, tribalism, corporatism, high level of corruption and favoritism leading to subjectivity in their evaluation) and structural barriers (material, infrastructural, financial and human resources deficiencies) in order to bring them as close as possible to universal health accreditation standards such as those of the World Health Organization. This leads to a medical practice of culturally acceptable quality. Skill assessment is one of the vital issues for public hospitals because it plays a fundamental role in strategies of distinction, rankings, selection processes and orientation in the professional life of health professionals. It goes through the development of a skills grid specific to these professionals and must be based on objective practices.

Motivation and Factors Affecting It among Health Professionals in the Public Hospitals, Central Ethiopia.

Motivation is an individual's degree of willingness to exert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals. This study assessed motivational status and factors affecting it among health professionals in public hospitals of West Shoa Zone, Oromia Region. Facility based cross-sectional survey was employed. All health professionals who served at least for 6 months in Ambo, Gedo and Gindeberet hospitals were included. Self-administered Likert scale type questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Mean motivation calculated as percentage of maximum scale score was used. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were done to see the independent effects of explanatory variables. The overall motivation level of health professionals was 63.63%. Motivation level of health professionals varied among the hospitals. Gindeberet Hospital had lower motivation score as compared to Ambo Hospital (B = -0.54 and 95% CI; -0.08,-0.27). The mean motivation score of health professionals who got monthly financial benefit was significantly higher than those who did not (B = 0.71 and 95% CI; 0.32, 1.10). Environmental factors had higher impact on doctors' motivation compared to nurses' (B = 0.51 and 95% CI; 0.10, 0.92). Supervisor-related factors highly varied in motivation relative to other variables. Motivation of health professionals was affected by factors related to supervisor, financial benefits, job content and hospital location. Efforts should be made to provide financial benefits to health professionals as appropriate especially, to those who did not get any such benefits. Officially recognizing best performance is also suggested.

Epidemiology of Needle Stick-Sharp Injuries (NSSIs) and Potential High Risk Exposures among Health Professionals in Ethiopia: Neglected Public Health Concern

Health professionals are exposed to a wide range of hazards in the workplace. Needle stick injuries have been recognized as one of the occupational hazards. Healthcare worker handling sharp devices or equipment is at risk of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens. Despite the burden of potential exposures, in Ethiopia, there are only few researches that have been conducted; as a result there is clearly paucity of information on this regard. The aim of the research conducted was to determine the epidemiology of needle stick-sharp injuries and high risk exposures among health professionals in public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Hospital based cross sectional survey conducted among health professionals at public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A pretested and structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data on socio-demographic, needle stick injury and other high risk exposures. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.Statistical significance was declared at P-value <=0.05.Of the total study participants, prevalence of sustained needle stick injuries (NSIs) and sharp injury was found 155(61.2%) and 127(50%), respectively. Majority of the study subjects, which account 184(72.4%) and 153(60.2%) of them were exposed for blood while ungloved and body fluid, respectively. Consistent use of gloves was reported by 52.4% of respondents. Of the total study participants, 9(3.5%) of respondents were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus infection. The study declared that exposure for potentially infectious body fluids including blood, needle stick injuries, sharp injury and other risk factors was high. But, the study indicated only very small percentages of health professionals were partially vaccinated for HBV. Taking into account the chance of potential exposure, there is a need to focus efforts on mitigating blood borne pathogen transmission through making the work place environment safe and making use of the available vaccine by vaccinating all health care workers at the start of their career.

A systematic review of the experiences of videoconference telepsychiatry for health professionals and adult mental health care users in public mental health services.

Review objective The objective of this review is to synthesise the best available evidence on the experiences of videoconference telepsychiatry for health professionals and adult mental health care users in public mental health services. Inclusion criteria Types of participants This review will consider studies that include health professionals (doctors and nurses) involved in mental health care in public sector health services and mental health care users of public health services participating in telepsychiatry services. For this systematic review we will use the following definitions: Health professionals : Nurses and doctors involved in telepsychiatry services provided in rural and remote public sector health psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services where there are no psychiatrists. Mental health care users (MHCUs) : Adult and child psychiatric patients participating in telepsychiatry services. Phenomena of interest This review will consider studies that investigate health professionals and MHCUs experiences of videoconference-based telepsychiatry services. For this systematic review the term telepsychiatry services refers to videoconference-based clinical consultation services provided by psychiatrists to health professionals in public hospitals and psychiatric outpatient clinics in remote and rural sites where there are no psychiatrists.

Use of point‐of‐care online clinical evidence by junior and senior doctors in New South Wales public hospitals

The Clinical Information Access Program (CIAP), an online evidence retrieval system, provides NSW health professionals in public hospitals with 24 h access to information supporting evidence-based practice. To assess the frequency and type of CIAP usage by senior and junior medical staff and doctors' attitudes to CIAP. A convenience sample of 25% of doctors from 65 randomly selected public hospitals completed a survey. Junior (n = 392) and senior (n = 684) doctors' responses were compared using chi2 analyses and t-tests. Most doctors had heard of CIAP (71.8%) and 60.6% had used it. More junior (72.4%) than senior (53.8%) doctors had used CIAP and junior doctors found it easier to use. Of the users 93.5% believed CIAP had the potential to improve patient care; 55.2% had directly experienced this. Most usage (61.5%) occurred at point-of-care; 74% of users found all/most of the information they sought and 71.6% found the search time to be 'good/excellent'. Users had increased their usage in the past year and predicted increased future usage. The most popular databases were Medline and MIMS. Age, access to other evidence, and lack of training, time and computer skills were associated with non-usage. Junior and senior users differed in 4 of 15 reasons for using CIAP. CIAP is used and valued by the majority of doctors. Patterns of usage, online experiences and the attitudes toward CIAP of senior doctors who use CIAP are relatively similar to those of junior doctors.