Assessment of Perceived Work Ability and Its Determinants among Healthcare Providers

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare providers are at high risk of occupational stress, burnout, health hazards and job dissatisfaction which can have harmful consequences on their health, work ability and professional efficiency. Therefore, it is important to adopt strategies for the promotion of healthy working conditions and improvement of their work ability. Aim of work: To assess the perceived work ability and its dimensions among the healthcare providers at Minia city, Egypt and identifies its relationship with socio-demographics, work-related factors and chronic diseases. Materials and methods: In a cross-sectional study among 233 healthcare providers, data about sociodemographics, history of chronic diseases, work-related factors and the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire were collected during an interview with the participants. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of WAI. Results: The study included 145 (62.2%) nurses, 46 (19.8%) physicians and 42 (18%) technicians. The mean WAI score was 40.6 (± 4.6) and the participants were categorized based on their work ability into poor (14.1%), suboptimal (58.4%) and optimal (27.5%). There were significant differences in the WAI scores and most dimensions of work ability between different age groups. In the final multivariable analysis: age, sex, work category and chronic disorders (including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal) were the significant predictors of work ability among the studied healthcare providers. Conclusion: Low work ability among health care providers was significantly associated with age, sex, work category, and chronic disease conditions. Therefore, promoting health, managing and preventing chronic diseases particularly at old age is essential in designing effective interventions to maintain and improve the work ability of healthcare providers.

Perceived work-ability and its associated factors among nurses working in the Northwest of Amhara regional state Referral Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022

“…The aim of this study was to determine perceived work ability and its associated factors among nurses working in the Northwest of Amhara regional state Referral Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia. The result of the current study showed that 242(59.0%) (CI = 53.7%, 64.3%) nurses had poor level of work ability, which is higher than the studies done in Egypt [ 14 ] and Nigeria [ 15 ]. In Nigeria, 29.2% of study participants had a poor level of work ability [ 15 ].…”

“…In this study, the prevalence of poor level of work ability was higher than the study done in Egypt (14.1%) [ 14 ]. The possible explanation for these differences might be methodological differences, socioeconomic development differences, organizational and work-related factors.…”

“…The overall score on the self-reported Work Ability Index measurement ranged from 7 to 49. A score of < 37 indicates poor work ability, a score of 37–43 indicates suboptimal, and a score of 44–49 indicates optimal level of work ability [ 14 , 28 ].…”

“…A score of 7–27 points corresponds to low work ability,28–36 points correspond to moderate work ability,37–43 corresponds to good work ability and 44–49 score corresponds to excellent work ability [ 28 ]. In this study, we used three sub-scales where a score < 37 corresponds to poor work ability, a score of 37–43 corresponds to sub-optimal work ability and a score of 44–49 corresponds to optimal work ability [ 14 , 28 ].…”

“…The studies conducted in Europe, revealed that work ability was significantly lower among nurse professionals [ 13 ]. Whereas, in Africa, evidence from Egypt and Nigeria showed that 14.1% and 29.2% of health care providers and nurses had inadequate levels of work ability respectively [ 14 , 15 ].…”