The degree of satisfaction and health status of the medical personnel of ambulance teams

Abstract

Introduction. The specific activity of healthcare personnel, including ambulance teams, is associated with multiple occupational risk factors, the combination of which negatively affects the health status, satisfaction degree, and quality of professional life. At present, the importance of maintaining the physical and mental health of health workers is emphasized as a necessary condition for the success in providing medical care in different situations, of anti-epidemic measures, and the adoption of appropriate management decisions in cases of extreme situations. Aim. This study aimed to assess the degree of satisfaction and health status of the medical personnel of ambulance teams in the Republic of Moldova. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out by the method of questioning, regarding the working conditions and health status of the medical personnel of ambulance teams of the Republic of Moldova. Results. The participants in the survey were 500 medical personnel, including 77% nurses and 23% physicians. Study findings showed that, of the total number of respondents, 71% are satisfied with their current job, 25% are partially satisfied and 4% are not satisfied and would like to change their job. The main reason for satisfaction regarding the current job, for 63% responding, is a professional achievement. In addition, 67.7% of personnel mentioned the existence of the prospect of professional development. At the same time, there is competition between the desire for higher incomes, a factor that can cause workers to leave, and professional achievements, a factor that affects retention in the current job. The main factors influencing the degree of dissatisfaction are the bad condition of the roads, followed by the difficult conditions for providing medical assistance, burnout at work, inappropriate behavior of the patient, relatives, etc. Regarding working conditions, 58% of surveyed consider them favorable and practically do not affect the working capacity and health status, 40% attribute them satisfactorily, partially affecting the working capacity and health status and 2% considered working conditions to be unfavorable and dangerous for health. During the period of the pandemic, 71% of surveyed personnel were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of which 62% were at the workplace, due the exposure to a high risk of infection through contact with patients potentially infected, insufficient protective equipment etc., in 6% of respondents, the state of health after COVID-19 being unsatisfactory. Also, the data indicate that 40% of medical personnel have chronic diseases, the most frequent being gastritis, pancreatitis, hypertension, bronchitis, sinusitis, allergies, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Conclusions. The provision of prehospital care is a vast and varied profession that plays a significant role in the daily work of the health care system of the Republic of Moldova. Working conditions are a crucial determinant of job satisfaction and the health status of healthcare personnel, which in turn influence the quality of healthcare provided. Thus, it is necessary to explore the determinants of professional satisfaction and the health status of medical personnel for defining areas of intervention in order to ensure the high social status of medical personnel.