Retention of medical officers in district health services, South Africa: a descriptive survey.

district health services general practitioners health workforce physicians public sector retention

Journal

BJGP open
ISSN: 2398-3795
Titre abrégé: BJGP Open
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101713531

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Dec 2022
Historique:
received: 05 04 2022
revised: 26 05 2022
accepted: 16 06 2022
pubmed: 28 9 2022
medline: 28 9 2022
entrez: 27 9 2022
Statut: epublish

Résumé

The health workforce is critical to strengthening district health services (DHS). In the public sector of South Africa, medical officers (MOs) are essential to delivering services in primary health care (PHC) and district hospitals. Family physicians, responsible for clinical governance, identified their retention as a key issue. To evaluate factors that influence retention of MOs in public sector DHS. A descriptive survey of MOs working in DHS, Western Cape, South Africa. All 125 MOs working in facilities associated with the Stellenbosch University Family Physician Research Network (SUFPREN) were included in the survey. A questionnaire measured the prevalence of key factors that might be associated with retention (staying >4 years) and included the Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care (SEHC) tool and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Data were collected in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) and analysed in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Ninety-five MOs completed the survey. The overall rating of the facility ( The overall rating of the facility was important and subsequent qualitative work has explored the underlying issues. These findings can guide strategies in the Western Cape and similar settings to retain MOs in the DHS.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
The health workforce is critical to strengthening district health services (DHS). In the public sector of South Africa, medical officers (MOs) are essential to delivering services in primary health care (PHC) and district hospitals. Family physicians, responsible for clinical governance, identified their retention as a key issue.
AIM OBJECTIVE
To evaluate factors that influence retention of MOs in public sector DHS.
DESIGN & SETTING METHODS
A descriptive survey of MOs working in DHS, Western Cape, South Africa.
METHOD METHODS
All 125 MOs working in facilities associated with the Stellenbosch University Family Physician Research Network (SUFPREN) were included in the survey. A questionnaire measured the prevalence of key factors that might be associated with retention (staying >4 years) and included the Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care (SEHC) tool and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Data were collected in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) and analysed in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
RESULTS RESULTS
Ninety-five MOs completed the survey. The overall rating of the facility (
CONCLUSION CONCLUSIONS
The overall rating of the facility was important and subsequent qualitative work has explored the underlying issues. These findings can guide strategies in the Western Cape and similar settings to retain MOs in the DHS.

Identifiants

pubmed: 36167403
pii: BJGPO.2022.0047
doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0047
pmc: PMC9904795
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2022, The Authors.

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Auteurs

Robert Mash (R)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa rm@sun.ac.za.

Beverley Williams (B)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Dusica Stapar (D)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Gavin Hendricks (G)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Herma Steyn (H)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Johann Schoevers (J)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Leigh Wagner (L)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Mumtaz Abbas (M)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Paul Kapp (P)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Stefanie Perold (S)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Rural Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Steve Swartz (S)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Werner Viljoen (W)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Muideen Bello (M)

Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Metro Health Services, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa.

Classifications MeSH