Job Satisfaction and Turnover among Health Workers in Primary Healthcare Settings
Keywords:
Primary Healthcare, Job Satisfaction, Employee Turnover, Intervention Strategies, Health Worker Retention.Abstract
Introduction:
The effectiveness of primary healthcare largely depends on the job satisfaction and stability of health workers. Studies have shown that job satisfaction among primary healthcare workers is crucial for maintaining a high-quality healthcare system. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current research findings to identify key factors influencing job satisfaction and turnover among health workers in primary healthcare settings.
Methods:
The systematic review targeted interventional studies that enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover among health workers in primary healthcare settings, employing a detailed search strategy across databases like PubMed, Scopus, and others using specific terms and Boolean operators. It involved stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria, with an initial screening and full-text review conducted by independent reviewers, focusing on studies published from January 2000 to August 2023, and included both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the interventions.
Results:
The systematic review identified nine studies with diverse approaches and sample sizes ranging from 385 to 2,170 participants, reflecting varied intervention settings and scopes within primary healthcare. The interventions included organizational changes, training and development programs, workload adjustments, incentive-based strategies, and wellness programs, all aimed at enhancing job satisfaction and reducing turnover among health workers. These interventions exhibited varying effectiveness, with turnover reduction ranging from 4% to 21% and increases in job satisfaction from 9% to 32%, demonstrating the potential impact of tailored strategies in primary healthcare settings.
Conclusions:
The systematic review of nine studies on primary healthcare settings revealed that interventions like organizational changes, training and development programs, and wellness initiatives significantly enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover among health workers, with effects ranging from improved communication and increased career satisfaction to effective stress and burnout management, highlighting the complexity of these issues and providing valuable insights for policymakers and healthcare administrators in developing strategies for a more stable and efficient workforce
