Healthcare Employees Research Articles

Exploring Workplace Perceptions Among Non-Clinical Healthcare Employees

Non-clinical staff are very important in healthcare settings where things need to move quickly. They help keep things running smoothly and make sure patients are happy. These employees, who include administrative staff and logistics coordinators, often work behind the scenes but are still very important to the healthcare system. To build teams that are open and high-performing, you need to know how they feel about their safety, freedom, and professional growth at work. This study concentrates on non-clinical healthcare employees and seeks to empirically investigate the underlying structure of their workplace perceptions. The research employs Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify critical dimensions within the constructs of Safety at Work, Freedom at Work, and Professional Growth at Work, thereby offering practical insights for healthcare administrators and HR professionals.

Boosting Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates Among Healthcare Workers in the State of Minnesota.

Hepatitis B is a severe liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), potentially leading to liver cirrhosis, failure, and carcinoma. Transmission occurs through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood. Immunization against HBV is the most effective measure to prevent infection. Healthcare employees, particularly those who are under-vaccinated, are at elevated risk due to potential exposure. Although healthcare workers should have access, 24% of the healthcare workforce worldwide remains unvaccinated. Ensuring adequate immunization for this group is essential to maintaining a safe workplace and minimizing the risk of downstream transmission. We aimed to decrease the number of overdue Hepatitis B vaccinations among employees and dependent patients in an Internal Medicine (IM) practice at a large academic medical center At baseline, 3,052 IM patients were under-vaccinated. Our intervention identified 1,000 random patients. An EMR message was sent to the intervention group. The message provided instructions on scheduling an appointment or retrieving documentation from their occupational health records. Four weeks after the initial message, a follow-up message was sent as a reminder. The intervention resulted in a 14% increase in HepB medical record compliance updates. 780 patients interacted at least once with message broadcasts. Our intervention significantly increased Hepatitis B vaccination and documentation for patients within the intervention group. This study identified several barriers, such as a lack of willingness to receive recommended vaccines or update records to reflect accurate vaccination status. Additionally, limitations in record retrieval and difficulties pulling vaccination records from external databases hindered documentation.

Job crafting motives and strategies to increase work-related well-being among healthcare employees.

BackgroundEmployees often change and adapt work to increase the fit of their own goals and needs, and resources and demands in work. Crafting a job in this manner can promote well-being at work.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore different job crafting strategies that healthcare employees engage in to increase their perceived well-being at work and the motives behind these strategies.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 healthcare employees, including one dental nurse, assistant and registered nurses, and occupational therapists. Interview data was analysed thematically.ResultsThe informants in this study all engaged in crafting strategies that were derived from more than one of four emerging motives. These motives were to craft for their development, for a common good, for meaningfulness in work, and to craft for manageability. Crafting strategies within the different motives included adding tasks beyond the clinical work, developing relations for collaboration with colleagues from other healthcare professions, involving patients when planning their daily work, and developing templates to optimize work. One other strategy to make work more manageable was to choose, at times, to craft less or to not craft at all.ConclusionsJob crafters engaged in different crafting strategies, derived from different motives, which seem to change depending on their current work-, and personal situation. Even though an inner drive for development seemed to overcome constraining working contexts, it is suggested that health-promoting job crafting should be organized through the promotion of ideas and employee-driven initiatives, as well as through cross-professional collaboration.

A Multilateral Qualitative Study of Perspectives on Enhancing Clinical Trial Diversity Among Historically Underrepresented Groups.

A Multilateral Qualitative Study of Perspectives on Enhancing Clinical Trial Diversity Among Historically Underrepresented Groups.

Differences in cause-specific mortality between healthcare workers and all other employees in Lithuania, 2011–2019

BackgroundHealthcare workers face health risks, including stress, burnout, and communicable diseases, leading to higher mortality rates. However, excess mortality diminishes with better disease control and lifestyle factors.MethodsThe study is based on the aggregated census-linked mortality dataset provided by Statistics Lithuania. The dataset was based on all 2011 census records, as well as death and emigration records from March 1, 2011, to December 31, 2019. The primary variable identified three groups: physicians, nurses and assistant nurses, and other healthcare workers. The reference groups consisted of individuals who were employed in all other sectors. We also conducted an analysis comparing highly educated healthcare workers to the highly educated workers in other sectors. The results are presented using age-adjusted sex-specific Poisson regression mortality rate ratios.ResultsThe four most common causes of death among healthcare employees were cancer, cardiovascular deaths, other causes of death, and external causes of death. Female nurses show significantly lower 0.86 (0.74–0.99) mortality due to malignant neoplasms than all other employees. Male physicians had lower mortality rates from smoking-related cancer (0.47 (0.24–0.95)); however, significantly higher mortality was found for digestive system diseases 6.29 (2.36–16.79) and liver diseases 5.1 (1.27–20.42). Highly educated male healthcare workers had 1.3–1.4 times higher all-cause, cardiovascular, and malignant neoplasm mortality than highly educated workers from all other sectors. Highly educated females working in health care had lower mortality for malignant neoplasms but significantly higher mortality for all other causes of death.ConclusionsExcess mortality due to digestive system diseases and alcohol-related causes of death among nurses and other health care employees is a particular matter of concern and should be addressed by appropriate prevention policies. Further in-depth studies on risk factors are needed to explain mortality differences between the groups of healthcare and other sector employees in Lithuania.

Truth-telling is required for health equity for Aboriginal peoples: A qualitative study.

Truth-telling is required for health equity for Aboriginal peoples: A qualitative study.

Seasonal evaluation of culturable bioaerosols and airborne particulate matter in Iranian hospital wards using a Monte Carlo health risk model

This study aimed to measure fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations and culturable bioaerosols (bacteria and fungi) in the indoor air of operating (OR) and emergency (EM) rooms, as well as internal wards (INT) in hospitals in Bushehr city, Iran. For the first time, the Monte Carlo model was employed to assess health risks associated with PM release into hospital indoor air, focusing on healthcare workers. A four-stage impactor and a one-step Anderson contact sampler were used to determine PM and bioaerosols, respectively. To assess the non-cancer risk associated with contaminants (PM), we calculated the Hazard Quotient (HQ). This evaluation was conducted using Crystal Ball software, which performed 1000 independent iterations at a 95% confidence level. The highest PM concentration recorded was 115.6 μg/m3 in the EM. Based on the results of the Monte Carlo, most calculated hazard quotient (HQ) values exceeded acceptable levels (< 1) for staff. The maximum concentrations of bacteria and fungi were 767 and 776 cfu/m3 in the EM during summer. A positive correlation was found between fungal levels and humidity in hospital wards. Additionally, PM concentrations of larger sizes and bacteria increased during visiting hours. Most bioaerosol concentrations were above the standard values recommended by WHO. As a result of this study, continuous monitoring and control of indoor air pollutants in these environments are vital to prevent various diseases in healthcare employees and patients.

The Role of Support Mechanisms in Reducing Burnout and Turnover Intention: A Study of Healthcare Professionals

The shortage of healthcare employees is a significant concern today. High levels of burnout and workforce turnover remain a challenge in the healthcare sector in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). This study examines the relationships between leader support, team support, emotional exhaustion, affective commitment, and turnover intention among healthcare employees, with a specific focus on the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. The research surveyed 125 employees from public and private healthcare institutions using validated measurement scales. Structural equation modeling was applied to test both direct and indirect effects. The findings revealed that leader and team support significantly reduce emotional exhaustion and positively influence affective commitment, while emotional exhaustion itself strongly predicts turnover intention. However, emotional exhaustion did not significantly mediate the relationships between support mechanisms and either affective commitment or turnover intention. Team support showed a positive relationship with turnover intention, suggesting that team dynamics or organizational stressors may play a complex role in shaping employee decisions to stay or leave. By offering a comprehensive analysis of how leader and team support influence emotional exhaustion, commitment, and turnover intention, this study provides critical suggestions to reduce burnout and enhance retention in healthcare institutions.

Exploring the Relationship Between Conflict Management Styles and Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare Settings in Jordan from the perspective of healthcare staff employees: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Exploring the Relationship Between Conflict Management Styles and Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare Settings in Jordan from the perspective of healthcare staff employees: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Burnout among ASHA workers: Challenges in rural healthcare delivery

Burnout is a menace affecting healthcare employees, which include Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in India. ASHAs are important segment in rural healthcare by promoting maternal and infant fitness, accomplishing immunization applications, and educating groups. However, they face multiple stressors which includes low remuneration, excessive workloads, lack of formal employment provisions, and resistance from community members. These demanding situations make ASHAs particularly vulnerable to burnout, that could result in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment. In this cross-sectional study, we tried to assess the degrees of burnout among ASHA workers in Shimoga with use of Maslach Burnout Inventory and semi-structured sociodemographic data sheet. The findings display that as burnout severity increase, both occupational exhaustion and depersonalization results in decline in personal accomplishment. At better ranges of burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization notably reduce ASHAs' sense of personal accomplishment and professional competence.

The Effect of Work Characteristics on Proactive Behavior Among Health Service Worker: The Mediating Role of Motivational State and Moderating Role of Organizational Cultural Values

This study investigates the influence of work characteristics on proactive behavior among healthcare staff at a private hospital in West Sumatera, Indonesia. The research applies the Proactive Motivation Model and Work Design Theory to assess how motivational state mediates the relationship between job design and proactive service behavior. Moreover, it explores how organizational cultural values moderate this link. Data were collected from 200 healthcare employees and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that task characteristics and contextual characteristics significantly affect motivational state, which in turn drives proactive behavior. Meanwhile, knowledge characteristics and social characteristics have no effect on motivational state, and thus cannot be mediated by motivational state to proactive behavior. Organizational cultural values strengthen the impact of motivational state on proactive behavior. These findings highlight the importance of well-structured job roles and internalized cultural values in enhancing proactive work behavior in healthcare

Assessment of patient safety culture among healthcare employees in major Eswatini public hospitals

This primary study assessed the patient safety culture in five major public government hospitals in Eswatini. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital employees using the validated Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The average positive patient safety culture (PSC) score was 43%. The highest-rated composite was “teamwork within units” (75%), while the lowest-rated was “staffing” (25%). All 11 PSC composites scored below the 2018 AHRQ survey benchmarks. These findings underscore the need for significant improvements in PSC across Eswatini’s hospitals. Additionally, the study revealed a lack of robust patient safety reporting systems in the five hospitals, which hinders efforts to address safety issues and reduce medical errors.

What we expect of each other: contextualizing the psychological contracts of senior assistant nurses

Purpose This study aims to examine how psychological contracts among senior assistant nurses are shaped by the expectations they hold of each other in the elderly care sector. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on transcribed semistructured interviews with 15 experienced health-care employees (assistant nurses and health-care assistants) from a large public organization in Sweden. Findings The findings show that values emphasizing uniformity in workload, responsibility and rewards are central to assistant nurses’ psychological contracts. They are expected to care for coworkers and recipients, uphold professional caregiving ideals and ensure fair work distribution. However, these expectations are frequently breached due to role conflicts, workload imbalances and a lack of cohesion within teams, leading to frustration and perceived injustice – issues that are often overlooked by employers. Despite these challenges, factors such as job satisfaction, workplace acceptance, coworker support, task autonomy and adherence to caregiving principles help mitigate the impact of breaches. Practical implications To increase psychological contract fulfillment, health-care employers can, for example, oversee workload so that work tasks are distributed evenly between employees, enhance role clarity, initiate workplace dialogue concerning responsibilities and prevent conflicts by increasing the line manager’s presence in day-to-day work. Social implications Amid ongoing workforce shortages, high turnover rates and an aging population, organizations face increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled personnel. This challenge is particularly pressing in the health-care sector, where shortages of qualified staff are expected to intensify in the coming years. Originality/value This study concludes by arguing that psychological contract research needs to move beyond the employee–employer focus and pay greater attention to the role of collectively shared norms, ideals and expectations, particularly in team-centric workplaces or contexts where collective ideals are strong.

Job stress and work-life balance on turnover intention: The mediating role of job satisfaction

This study aims to examine the effect of Job Stress and work-life balance on turnover intention, with job satisfaction as a mediating variable among healthcare employees at RSU Grha Bhakti Medika in Bali. Using a quantitative approach and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were collected from 92 nurses and midwives through a structured questionnaire. The results reveal that Job Stress has a positive and significant effect on turnover intention, while work-life balance and job satisfaction have negative and significant effects on turnover intention. Additionally, Job Stress negatively affects job satisfaction, whereas a good work-life balance positively influences job satisfaction. The mediation analysis confirms that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between job stress and work-life balance, as well as between work-life balance and turnover intention. These findings highlight the importance of reducing Job Stress and promoting work-life balance to enhance job satisfaction and lower turnover intention among hospital employees. The study offers practical implications for hospital management in developing HR policies that support employee well-being and retention, especially in the context of strengthening Indonesia’s health tourism sector.

Viral acute respiratory infections in neonatal intensive care healthcare workers: a nine-month point-prevalence cohort study.

Viral acute respiratory infections in neonatal intensive care healthcare workers: a nine-month point-prevalence cohort study.

Ageing in place or stuck in place: A critical qualitative study on older adults' independence across six municipalities in Norway.

The concept of ageing in place (AIP) has garnered substantial international attention, especially with the global rise in the ageing population. Despite extensive research and policy support, the practical complexities of implementing AIP policy, particularly in diverse living situations, places, social contexts and evolving family structures, remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the key factors influencing experiences of AIP among older individuals, family caregivers and municipal health and social care employees across six diverse Norwegian municipalities. This qualitative study utilised an explorative interpretative design, involving focus group interviews with municipal employees (N=36) and semi-structured individual interviews with older persons (N=17) and family caregivers (N=18). The municipalities varied in several key dimensions, including population size, geographic extent, centrality, demographics and the economy. The reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: i) Ageing-Related Preparation: Balancing Personal and Municipal Responsibility, ii) Access to Proper Services: Aligning the Person-Environment Fit, iii) Family Caregiving: Bridging the Gap between Services and Actual Needs, and iv) Transitional Housing: Supporting Aging in Place with Dignity. Together, these themes highlight the need to promote 'independence literacy' for older adults, ensuring they have the necessary knowledge, access, and support to live independently and maintain their quality of life while AIP. The findings urge a re-evaluation of local factors shaping safe and proper person-environment fit, emphasising access to proper services, caregiver support, housing options, resource allocation and the enhancement of skilled healthcare staff to optimise safe AIP. The findings may be relevant for policy makers, municipal leaders and health service employees in developing equitable AIP policies tailored to the local context.

Impact of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Employee Well-being on Mental Healthcare of Workers' Affectiveness: The Mediating Role of Employee Satisfaction and the Moderating Effect of Digital Leadership.

Recently, the most critical psychological challenges have compelled healthcare professionals to confront their mental health issues. Consequently, many employees experiencing elevated levels of psychological stress have reported disengagement and dissatisfaction across various aspects of their work. Given the strong association between individual well-being and job satisfaction, how healthcare employees regulate their emotions and psychological health to attain job satisfaction remains largely unexplored. To address this issue, the present study investigates the effects of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and employee well-being on healthcare workers' emotional and mental health while considering the mediating role of employee satisfaction and the moderating role of digital leadership. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 633 healthcare employees in China. We employed SPSS and Smart PLS for reliability, discriminant validity, and structural equation modeling analyses. The findings reveal that mindfulness (MFN), emotional intelligence (EI), and employee well-being (EWB) significantly and positively influence both emotional health (EH) and mental health (MH). Furthermore, employee satisfaction (ES) mediated the relationship between mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and employee well-being to emotional and mental health. The moderating role of digital leadership (DL) was also examined, demonstrating its influence on emotional and mental health. These findings hold important implications for healthcare professionals, managers, policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders seeking to enhance employee well-being and job satisfaction in healthcare settings.

Role of Job Satisfaction as Mediator Between the Causes and Level of Burnout: Case Study on Yemeni Healthcare Employees

Occupational burnout among healthcare professionals can have severe consequences on their health, the quality of patient care, and the overall performance of the healthcare system, especially during pandemics like COVID-(19). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of occupational burnout syndrome among healthcare providers working at Al-Thawra and Al-Jumhuri hospitals in Taiz, Yemen, and to assess the direct impact of work reference, social relationships, workload, and lack of support on occupational burnout syndrome. Additionally, the study measured the indirect effect through the job satisfaction variable. A quantitative descriptive approach was used, and data were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to assess burnout and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) to evaluate job satisfaction, from a sample of 181 employees at the two hospitals. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SMART PLS 4). The results revealed that sources of burnout were at a high level, while the level of burnout syndrome occurrence was moderate. It was found that lack of support, work reference, and workload had direct effects on burnout syndrome, with coefficients of (0.45%), (0.17%), and 0.16%, respectively. However, social relationships did not have a statistically significant direct impact on burnout syndrome. The study also indicated that job satisfaction plays a mediating role in the relationship between social burnout sources and occupational burnout syndrome. Furthermore, demographic factors showed no statistically significant impact on the occurrence of burnout syndrome. The study recommends appropriate interventions by implementing preventive measures and necessary programs to prevent occupational burnout syndrome, along with regular screenings for early detection and treatment of burnout syndrome.

Effort-reward-imbalance, burnout, and physical pain mediate the relationship between overcommitment and depression in German Emergency Medical Technicians

BackgroundOvercommitment (OC) is highly prevalent in health care employees, and may predict depression symptoms. The literature suggests that the relationship between OC and depression is mediated by Effort-Reward-Imbalance (ERI), burnout and physical pain. This study tested a two-step mediation effect between OC and depression by ERI in a first, and burnout and physical pain in a second step using a cohort of German Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out on a volunteer sample of 303 EMTs in Germany. OC and ERI were assessed using the ERI questionnaire, burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, physical pain with the Short Form 36, and depression with the BDI-II. The relationship between these variables was tested using a mediation analysis.ResultsWe found a partial mediation effect between OC and depression via ERI, burnout (emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment) and physical pain. The mediation effect of emotional exhaustion is significantly higher than those of depersonalization and physical pain.ConclusionsThe partial mediation effect suggests the validity of our model assumptions, but also indicates direct relationships between variables (i.e. OC, ERI and depression). The identification of emotional exhaustion as key mediator implies that prevention and intervention approaches in EMTs should be based on this indicator.

Construct validity of the Brazilian QuickDASH for assessing work-related upper-limb musculoskeletal disorders.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMD) may be associated with various individual, physical, biomechanical, or psychosocial/organisational risk factors. Self-report questionnaires have increasingly been used to assess patients' perceptions of injury impact. QuickDASH is a widely used outcome measurement questionnaire but is seldom applied to WRMD. To evaluate the construct validity of the Brazilian version of the QuickDASH (QD-Br) in patients with WRMD affecting the upper limbs, hypothesising a moderate correlation with fatigue, ergonomic, and functional questionnaires. Workers of a tertiary hospital, such as healthcare professionals and support staff employees with WRMD in the upper limbs and neck were included. The outcome measures were QD-Br, the Numerical Pain Scale (NPS), Isometric Handgrip Strength (GS), Isokinetic Force of Bilateral Shoulder Elevation in the Scapular Plane (ISOAbd), Functional Impairment Test - Hand and Neck/Shoulder/Arm (FIT-HaNSA), and: Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS-Br), Neck Disability Index (NDI-Br), Work Ability Index (WAI-Br), Need for Recovery Scale (NFR-Br), and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC-Br). Spearman's Correlation Coefficient (ρ) was calculated to determine the direction and strength of associations. The sample was 70% female, 63% reporting chronic symptoms. The shoulder was the joint most frequently reported. QD-Br showed moderate positive correlations with NDI-Br and NPS and moderate but negative correlations with WAI-Br and PSFS-Br. It presented weak and positive correlations with NFR-Br, weak and negative correlations with GS, ISOAbd, and FIT-HaNSA, and no correlation with QEC-Br. QD-Br demonstrated evidence of construct validity for assessing workers with upper limb complaints, effectively reflecting their dysfunctions and symptoms.