Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Universal Research Care Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh.
PLoS One. 2023 Nov 20;18(11):e0294224. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294224. eCollection 2023.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a well-equipped and supported healthcare workforce, and Bangladesh still faces challenges in providing adequate and well-equipped healthcare services. Therefore, the study aims to assess the level of working conditions of the clinical health workers in Bangladesh and their relative importance in delivering quality healthcare services.
The study followed a cross-sectional study design and collected primary data adopting a quantitative method. A total of 319 clinical workforces from four districts and eight sub-districts were randomly selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. A 26-component questionnaire used to assess various components of working conditions. Descriptive statistics, and bivariate analysis were used to analyze the data.
The study found that the working conditions of clinical health workers in primary and secondary healthcare facilities in Bangladesh were quite poor (3.40), with almost two-thirds of respondents showing negative views in 23 out of 26 indicators. The results also showed that working conditions were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in primary compared to secondary level facilities. Moreover, men, younger workforce, and workforce with shorter length of service were more likely to report poor working conditions than their counterparts. Lastly, receiving monthly salary in due time was top-ranked (99.15) in terms of importance for delivering quality healthcare, followed by availability of medicines (98.04), and medical and surgical requisites (97.57), and adequate mentoring and support to perform duties (97.50).
The study highlights the poor working conditions of clinical health workers in public health facilities in Bangladesh. It recommends that policymakers should prioritize improving working conditions by addressing the factors that are crucial for delivering quality healthcare. Improving working conditions will have a positive impact on the retention and motivation of workers, which will ultimately lead to better health outcomes for the population.
COVID-19 大流行凸显了装备精良和得到支持的医疗保健人员队伍的重要性，而孟加拉国在提供充足和装备精良的医疗保健服务方面仍然面临挑战。因此，本研究旨在评估孟加拉国临床卫生工作者的工作条件水平及其在提供高质量医疗保健服务方面的相对重要性。
本研究采用横断面研究设计，采用定量方法收集初级数据。采用多阶段抽样技术，从四个区和八个分区随机选择了 319 名临床工作人员。使用 26 个组成部分的问卷评估工作条件的各个组成部分。使用描述性统计和双变量分析来分析数据。
研究发现，孟加拉国初级和二级医疗保健设施中临床卫生工作者的工作条件相当差（3.40），在 26 个指标中的 23 个指标中，近三分之二的受访者表示负面看法。结果还表明，与二级设施相比，初级设施的工作条件明显更高（p ≤ 0.05）。此外，男性、年轻的劳动力和服务年限较短的劳动力比同龄人更有可能报告工作条件差。最后，按时足额领取月薪在提供高质量医疗保健方面的重要性排名最高（99.15%），其次是药品供应（98.04%）、医疗和外科用品（97.57%）以及充分的指导和支持履行职责（97.50%）。
本研究强调了孟加拉国公共卫生设施中临床卫生工作者的工作条件差。它建议政策制定者应通过解决对提供高质量医疗保健至关重要的因素来优先改善工作条件。改善工作条件将对工人的保留和激励产生积极影响，最终将为人民带来更好的健康结果。
