The impact of job satisfaction on staff attitude towards patients/clients in the public health institutions – A case study of West Akim Municipality, Asamankese E/R.
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Date
2009-08-05
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Abstract
Fiscal constraints and health reforms all over the world have prompted greater demand for quality of health care services from health care providers in public health institutions. Even though health workers in such institutions are doing their best with respect to key indicators for quality of care, one indicator always fall short of expectations of patients/clients and that is staff attitude. MoH/GHS realizing the need to improve staff attitude instituted the Additional Duty Hours Allowance to serve as motivation to improve job satisfaction thereby improving staff attitude. The policy came with its associated problems culminating in the merging of the ADHA with basic salary in 2006 in what has come to be known as “Health Sector Salary Structure”. This has been in place since its introduction in 2006. It is in the light of the above that the researcher decided to study the area of using salary as job satisfaction tool to improve attitudes of health workers in public health institutions in the West Akim Municipal Area.
The specific objective of this study is to assess whether there is a relationship between motivation and job satisfaction on one hand and attitude of health workers. Among the general objectives are:
• to study how health workers are satisfied with their jobs in relation to their remuneration and other motivational factors
• to assess the aspect of the job that they are satisfied or dissatisfied with hence the kind of attitude towards patient/clients
A descriptive study involving health workers of all profession in West Akim Municipal area and interview of key health care managers in public health institutions in West Akim was conducted. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the responses from the questionnaire.
Ninety (90) respondents representing 90% response rate was achieved. 42.2% of the respondents were males and 57.7% were females. 61.1% of the respondents were trained nurses. 56.7% were middle level managers and 58.9% had been working in the municipality between one and five years. 68.9% strongly agreed with the statement that their jobs contribute to success of their institutions.
The study concludes that pay satisfaction or increase in salary alone is not enough to change negative staff attitudes. The results have shown that offering excellent benefits (non-salary) for its employees by the institutions primarily impacts on job satisfaction which translates into positive attitude towards patients/clients.
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A dissertation submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration (CEMBA),May-2009