Chatio Samuel T, Kuwolamo Irene, Ansah Nana Akosua, Ababio Lucy O, Tsifodze Mathilda Aku, Akazili James, Boateng Boakye, Ansah Patrick
Navrongo Health Research Center, Navrongo, Ghana.
School of Public Health, C.K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, Ghana.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 Aug 2;25(1):1018. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-13210-w.
Despite the high healthcare needs in rural regions in Ghana, it is a challenge for health managers to attract and retain healthcare professionals in these regions including the Upper East Region, which negatively affects health service delivery. This study investigated factors contributing to attrition of health professionals in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana.
The study used a qualitative research approach where 92 in-depth interviews were conducted with participants between June and August, 2023. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded into themes using QSR Nvivo 12 software before thematic content analysis.
Participants agreed that health worker attrition in the Upper East Region was a problem. Difficulty for health workers to obtain study leave for further studies, administrative lapses, linked with lack of respect and appreciation, family issues and poor working conditions were the main factors contributing to health worker attrition. However, health worker motivation, approval of study leave for qualified health staff, provision of medical equipment/ logistics and health managers showing respect and appreciation to frontline healthcare workers were strategies recommended by participants to address health worker attrition.
Views shared by stakeholders in our study suggest that health worker attrition is a serious issue affecting service delivery in the Upper East Region. Thus, it is important for health managers to implement appropriate strategies including those recommended in this study towards addressing the issue, to improve healthcare.
尽管加纳农村地区有很高的医疗需求，但对于卫生管理人员来说，在包括上东部地区在内的这些地区吸引和留住医疗专业人员是一项挑战，这对卫生服务的提供产生了负面影响。本研究调查了加纳北部上东部地区卫生专业人员流失的影响因素。
本研究采用定性研究方法，于2023年6月至8月期间对参与者进行了92次深入访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录，并在进行主题内容分析之前，使用QSR Nvivo 12软件编码成主题。
参与者一致认为上东部地区卫生工作者的流失是一个问题。卫生工作者难以获得进修学习假、行政失误、缺乏尊重和认可、家庭问题以及恶劣的工作条件是导致卫生工作者流失的主要因素。然而，参与者建议的解决卫生工作者流失问题的策略包括：激励卫生工作者、批准合格卫生人员的进修学习假、提供医疗设备/后勤保障以及卫生管理人员对一线医护人员表示尊重和认可。
我们研究中的利益相关者所表达的观点表明，卫生工作者的流失是影响上东部地区服务提供的一个严重问题。因此，卫生管理人员实施适当的策略，包括本研究中建议的那些策略来解决这个问题，对于改善医疗保健至关重要。
