Uddin Md Azhar, Shimul Shafiun Nahin, Ifteakhar Tulon K M Nafiz, Ihsan-Ul-Kabir Muhammad, Noman Abu, Sultana Faojia, Hoque Md Ashraful, Islam Md Ariful, Munmun Samiha Tasnim, Amin Shariful
University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Ag. Science Building, 611 S. 3rd St, River Falls, WI, 54022, United States.
Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
Soc Sci Med. 2025 Jan;365:117538. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117538. Epub 2024 Nov 22.
The disruption of health service delivery during public health emergencies, like Ebola and COVID-19, due to hesitancy among healthcare workers (HCWs) is well-documented. While previous studies have identified motivating factors for HCWs, accommodating all is often unfeasible due to resource limitations. Thus, identifying precise preferences is crucial from a policy standpoint. This study aims to discern HCWs' preferences regarding working conditions and fringe benefits to ensure continued service during emergencies. Additionally, we investigate potential variations in preferences among HCWs who served in dedicated COVID-19 units versus those who did not, considering differences in perceived and realized risks. Conducting a discrete choice experiment (CE) and in-person interviews with 370 HCWs from four tertiary-level hospitals in Bangladesh, our findings reveal HCWs prioritize improving working conditions over fringe benefits. Notably, those in dedicated COVID-19 units exhibit a divergent preference pattern, indicating significant influence of perceived and realized risks. These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers to address HCWs hesitancy and ensure optimal service delivery during national health crises.
在公共卫生紧急事件（如埃博拉和新冠疫情）期间，医护人员的犹豫导致医疗服务提供中断，这一点有充分的文献记载。虽然先前的研究已经确定了医护人员的激励因素，但由于资源限制，满足所有因素往往不可行。因此，从政策角度来看，确定确切的偏好至关重要。本研究旨在了解医护人员对工作条件和附加福利的偏好，以确保在紧急情况下持续提供服务。此外，考虑到感知风险和实际风险的差异，我们调查了在专门的新冠病房工作的医护人员与未在专门病房工作的医护人员之间偏好的潜在差异。通过对孟加拉国四家三级医院的370名医护人员进行离散选择实验（CE）和面对面访谈，我们的研究结果显示，医护人员将改善工作条件置于附加福利之上。值得注意的是，在专门的新冠病房工作的医护人员表现出不同的偏好模式，表明感知风险和实际风险有重大影响。这些见解为政策制定者解决医护人员的犹豫问题并确保在国家卫生危机期间提供最佳服务提供了宝贵的指导。
