Investigating Job Satisfaction in Pre-hospital Healthcare Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role of Work-related Factors
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-hospital healthcare workers (PHCs) faced increased workloads, longer shifts, and heightened exposure to infection risks. These demanding conditions led to substantial mental and physical strain, often resulting in job dissatisfaction, and subsequently lower quality of patient care. This study aims to determine the job satisfaction levels of PHCs and their associated factors. The study will help determine predicting factors for job satisfaction among PHCs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 PHCs in Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) who were selected to participate using simple random sampling technique. Their job satisfaction, job environment, working hours/ shift, workload, and management support were assessed using an online self-administered questionnaire and the data was analysed using SPSS version 26 software. Results: The mean job satisfaction score of PHCs was 3.47 ±0.95 which revealed a more than moderate level of job satisfaction among the respondents. Based on the correlation coefficient, job satisfaction was negatively correlated with work hours per week (r=-0.350, p<0.001), workdays per week (r=-0.418, p<0.001), extended work insights score (r=-0.218, p<0.001 and work hours per week (r=-0.386, p<0.001). Conclusion: Given the findings linking low job satisfaction to longer working days and more work during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to prioritise employee wellbeing through tailored measures. Remote working and flexible working hours are two examples of flexible working arrangements that provide the flexibility needed to ensure a positive work-life balance. Furthermore, providing comprehensive support services, such as mental health resources and counseling, is essential to addressing future pandemic challenges.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Wiersinga WJ, Rhodes A, Cheng AC, Peacock SJ, Prescott HC. Pathophysiology, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a review. JAMA. 2020;324(8):782–93. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.12839
Razu SR, Yasmin T, Arif TB, Islam MS, Islam SMS, Gesesew HA, Ward P. Challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A qualitative inquiry from Bangladesh. Front Public Health. 2021;9:647315. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.647315
Sengupta M, Roy A, Ganguly A, Baishya K, Chakrabarti S, Mukhopadhyay I. Challenges encountered by healthcare providers in COVID-19 Times: An exploratory study. J Health Manag. 2021;23(2):339–356. https://doi.org/10.1177/09720634211011695
Scheepers RA, Boerebach BC, Arah OA, Heineman MJ, Lombarts KM. A systematic review of the impact of physicians’ occupational well-being on the quality of patient care. Int J Behav Med. 2015;22:683–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-015-9473-3
Spetz J, Hailer L, Gay C, Tierney M, Schmidt L, Phoenix B, Chapman S. Changes in US clinician waivers to prescribe buprenorphine management for opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic and after relaxation of training requirements. JAMA Network Open. 2022;5(5):e225996. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.5996
Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS). The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services processed 232163 cases in 2021, 2022. Available from https://www.ambulance.gov.ae/en-us/Pages/newsDetail.aspx?newsid=1342
Amini H, Isanejad A, Chamani N, Movahedi-Fard F, Salimi F, Moezi M, Habibi S. Physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic in the Iranian population: A brief report. Heliyon. 2020;6(11):e05411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05411
Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, Zhao X, Huang B, Shi W, Lu R, Niu P. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(8):727–33. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2001017
Sax J, Torp SS. Speak up! Enhancing risk performance with enterprise risk management, leadership style and employee voice. Management Decision. 2015;53(7):1452–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2014-0625
Alpern R, Canavan ME, Thompson JT, McNatt Z, Tatek D, Lindfield T, Bradley EH. Development of a brief instrument for assessing healthcare employee satisfaction in a low-income setting. PloS One. 2013;8(11):e79053. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079053
Li Z, Ge J, Yang M, et al. Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control. Brain Behav Immun 2020;88:916–919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.007
Rivard MK, Cash RE, Woodyard KC, Crowe RP, Panchal AR. Intentions and motivations for exiting the emergency medical services profession differ between emergency medical technicians and paramedics. J Allied Health. 2020;49(1):53–9.
El-Salibi, B. A. Job satisfaction among registered nurses working in UAE Ministry of Health hospitals: demographic correlates (Doctoral dissertation, The British University in Dubai (BUiD)); 2012.
Al Badi FM, Cherian J, Farouk S, Al Nahyan M. Work engagement and job performance among nurses in the public healthcare sector in the United Arab Emirates. J Asia Bus Stud. 2023;17(5):1019-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-06-2022-0216
Aldrees T, Al-Eissa S, Badri M, Aljuhayman A, Zamakhshary M. Physician job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia: insights from a tertiary hospital survey. Ann Saudi Med. 2015;35(3):210–3. https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2015.210
Alshmemri M, Shahwan-Akl L, Maude P. Job satisfaction of Saudi nurses working in Makkah region public hospitals, Saudi Arabia. Life Sci. 2016;13(12):22–33. https://doi.org/10.7537/marslsj131216.05
Alqahtani A, Nahar S, Almosa K, Almusa AA, Al-Shahrani BF, Asiri AA, Alqarni SA. Leadership styles and job satisfaction among healthcare providers in primary health care centers. Middle East J Fam Med. 2021;19(3): 102–113. https://doi.org/10.5742/MEWFM.2021.94013
Cunningham R, Westover J, Harvey J. Drivers of job satisfaction among healthcare professionals: a quantitative review. Int J Healthc Manag. 2023;16(4):534–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2022.2126671
Dreher A. Job-related stressors and working conditions of employees in the German healthcare sector during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (Doctoral dissertation, Universitäts-und Landesbibliothek der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf); 2023.
Bayer N, Golbasi Z, Uzuntarla Y, Akarsu K. Job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention of nurses working in hospital during the pandemic COVID-19 in Turkey. J Clin Med Kaz. 2021;18(6):69–75. https://doi.org/10.23950/jcmk111347
Savitsky B, Radomislensky I, Hendel T. Nurses' occupational satisfaction during Covid-19 pandemic. Appl Nurs Res. 2021;59:151416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2021.151416
Domagała A, Bała MM, Storman D, Peña-Sánchez JN, Świerz MJ, Kaczmarczyk M, Storman M. Factors associated with satisfaction of hospital physicians: a systematic review on European data. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(11):2546. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15112546
Lu H, Zhao Y, While A. Job satisfaction among hospital nurses: A literature review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2019;94:21–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.01.011
Tekingündüz S, Mehmet TO, Seçkin M. Analysing the relationship between job satisfaction, performance, job stress and the intention to leave: Hospital case, in Turkish. Verimlilik Dergisi. 2015;11(4):39–64.
Tuna H, Türkmen OO, Albayrak S. A study on the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and job stress and satisfaction among healthcare workers in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2023;74(1):42–7. https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3672
Alrawashdeh HM, Al-Tammemi AA, Alzawahreh MK, Al-Tamimi A, Elkholy M, Al Sarireh F, Abusamak M, Elehamer NM, Malkawi A, Al-Dolat W, Abu-Ismail L. Occupational burnout and job satisfaction among physicians in times of COVID-19 crisis: a convergent parallel mixed-method study. BMC Public Health. 2021;21:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10897-4
Lu Y, Hu X-M, Huang X-L, Zhuang X-D, Guo P, Feng L-F, et al. Job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare staff: a cross-sectional study in Guangdong Province, China. BMJ Open. 2016;6:e011388. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011388
Harnois CE, Bastos JL. Discrimination, harassment, and gendered health inequalities: do perceptions of workplace mistreatment contribute to the gender gap in self-reported health?. J Health Soc Behav. 2018;59(2):283–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146518767407
Barili E, Bertoli P, Grembi V, Rattini V. Job satisfaction among healthcare workers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plos One. 2022;17(10):e0275334. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275334
Şenturan L, Gürel A, Öztürk M, Eker S, Şabablı Y. The relationship of burnout and job satisfaction of nurses who work in private dialysis units, in Turkish. J Nephrol Nurs. 2011;8(1):42–49.
Public Services International. French health workers face rapid escalation of cases; 2020. Available from https://publicservices.international/resources/news/french-health-workers-face-rapid-escalation-of-cases-?id=10649&lang=en
Djupedal IL, Pallesen S, Harris A, Waage S, Bjorvatn B, Vedaa Ø. Changes in the work schedule of nurses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Its relationship with sleep and turnover intention. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(14):8682. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148682
Lee BE, Ling M, Boyd L, Olsson C, Sheen J. The prevalence of probable mental health disorders among hospital healthcare workers during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2023; 330(1):329-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.012
Ball J, Day T, Murrells T, Dall’Ora C, Rafferty AM, Griffiths P, Maben J. Cross-sectional examination of the association between shift length and hospital nurses job satisfaction and nurse reported quality measures. BMC Nurs. 2017;16(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-017-0221-7
Cao J, Wei J, Zhu H, Duan Y, Geng W, Hong X, Jiang J, Zhao X, Zhu B. A study of basic needs and psychological wellbeing of medical workers in the fever clinic of a tertiary general hospital in Beijing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Psychother Psychosom. 2020:30(1):252–254. https://doi.org/10.1159/000507453
Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N, et al. Factors associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers exposed to coronavirus disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(3):e203976. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976
Pappa S, Ntella V, Giannakas T, Giannakoulis VG, Papoutsi E, Katsaounou P. Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2020;88: 901–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026