The lost productivity cost of absenteeism due to COVID-19 in health care workers in Iran: a case study in the hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background Human resources management plays an important role in social development and economic growth. Absence from work due to health problems can make obstacles to the growth of economy. This study conducted aimed to estimate the absenteeism costs of COVID-19 among the personnel of hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Mashhad, Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between February 19, 2020, and September 21, 2020. The absenteeism costs were calculated using the human capital approach. Finally, we applied the linear regression to assess the impact of variables on the lost productivity of absenteeism due to COVID-19 among the personnel of hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Results The results of this study showed that 1958 personnel had COVID-19. The total of absenteeism days in our study were 32,209 days, with an average of 16.44 absenteeism days. Total costs due to absenteeism were estimated to be nearly $1.3 million, with an average of $671.4 per patient. The results of regression model showed that gender (male), age (> 50 years), employment Type (non-permanent) and monthly income had a positive relationship with the absenteeism cost. Also, there are a negative significant relationship between absenteeism cost with job (physicians) and work experience. Conclusions Absenteeism costs of COVID-19 in the hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences represent a significant economic burden. The findings of our study emphasize the emergency strategies to prevent and control COVID-19 among the healthcare workers. It can decrease the economic impacts of COVID-19 and improve human resources management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Services and Patient Satisfaction in IRAN during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Methodology Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Artificial Neural Network

“…Clearly, the dire COVID-19 situation has a significant economic and financial impact, with GDP and hours worked falling by 20% (de la Fuente-Mella et al 2021). Regarding to health economics, the lost productivity costs owing to absenteeism costs are an important element of the health care costs (Faramarzi et al 2021). During the COVID-19 crisis, the economic downturn has struck people from the lower socioeconomic stratum (Gopalan and Misra 2020).…”

A Comparison of the Validities of Traditional Chinese Versions of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health and the World Health Organization’s Health and Work Performance Questionnaire

“…In a self-reported productivity questionnaire, the average presenteeism score of Vietnamese patients in a methadone maintenance program was estimated to be 31.5% and was converted into a mean weekly presenteeism cost of USD 8.7 [ 5 ]. In a cross-sectional study in Iranian hospitals, the average absenteeism days of 1958 healthcare workers who had COVID-19 in 2021 was 16.44 days and it was equivalent to USD 671.4 per person [ 6 ]. However, using a health measure with limited evidence on its validity when estimating absenteeism and presenteeism might increase the bias of the results.…”

Sickness absenteeism of Primary Health Care professionals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The uncontrolled increase in sickness absenteeism reflects the working and health conditions of professionals, and this fact can be aggravated in moments of a pandemic or any other disasters that involve contamination, since these phenomena have great potential to directly impact workers' health (5) . Research shows that the absenteeism of health professionals can further complicate the picture of health services, which already have a huge burden in these situations (6)(7)(8)(9) .…”

“…Studies conducted in pandemic periods already addressed the consequences of the absence of health workers (6)(7)(8)10) . However, despite the evidence of the negative effects of absenteeism in health services (9) , it is necessary to seek new knowledge about the subject, since COVID-19 and its real impacts have not yet been fully elucidated. With regard to worker health surveillance, in the context of this pandemic, the need for protection of health professionals deserves to be highlighted by (12)(13) ; however, official databases or surveys that retract the impacts of COVID-19 on the health of these workers are still scarce (14) .…”