Mthombeni Siyanda I, Vincent-Lambert Craig
Department of Emergency Medical Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Health SA. 2025 Feb 28;30:2788. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v30i0.2788. eCollection 2025.
The loss of healthcare professionals because of migration remains a challenge for low- and middle-income countries. South African Emergency Care Practitioners (ECPs) are no exception with many choosing to leave South Africa (SA) to work in the Middle East (ME).
To investigate and describe the push and pull factors that are influencing ECPs to leave SA and work in the ME.
The study took place in the ME in an online setting.
A prospective mixed-method sequential design was adopted that made use of a purposively designed, pre-piloted, online questionnaire followed by a number of one-on-one interviews with a purposefully selected sample of participants to explore push and pull factors that influenced their decision to leave SA to work in the ME.
The increased cost of living, low salaries, poor and unsafe working environments, and being undervalued by management in SA were the main push factors that emerged. Better pay, improved safety and security and a better quality of life in the ME were identified as core pull factors that are drawing South African ECPs to the ME.
To stem the ongoing exodus of ECPs, significant work has to be done to improve local salaries, working conditions and the overall job satisfaction experienced by operational ECPs in SA.
Understanding why ECPs are leaving the country, and in particular why they choose the ME as their employment destination can assist Emergency Medical Services (EMS) managers to implement measures that aid in the retention of these highly skilled healthcare professionals.
医疗专业人员因移民而流失，这对低收入和中等收入国家来说仍是一项挑战。南非的急诊护理从业者也不例外，许多人选择离开南非前往中东工作。
调查并描述影响急诊护理从业者离开南非前往中东工作的推动因素和吸引因素。
该研究在中东地区以在线方式进行。
采用前瞻性混合方法序列设计，使用了一个经过预先试点的、有针对性设计的在线问卷，随后对一些有目的地挑选出的参与者样本进行了一对一访谈，以探究影响他们离开南非前往中东工作这一决定的推动因素和吸引因素。
生活成本增加、薪资低、工作环境恶劣且不安全以及在南非被管理层低估是出现的主要推动因素。中东地区更高的薪资、更好的安全保障以及更高的生活质量被确定为吸引南非急诊护理从业者前往中东的核心吸引因素。
为了阻止急诊护理从业者持续外流，必须开展大量工作来提高南非在职急诊护理从业者的当地薪资、工作条件以及总体工作满意度。
了解急诊护理从业者为何离开该国，尤其是他们为何选择中东作为就业目的地，有助于紧急医疗服务（EMS）管理人员实施有助于留住这些高技能医疗专业人员的措施。
