The current status of working conditions in public hospitals at a selected province, South Africa: Part 2

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe the current working conditions in public hospitals at a specific province in South Africa. In Part 1 of the exploratory sequential mixed method study, the author dealt with the study design and presented the qualitative results against the relevant literature. The present paper presents the quantitative part of the study, the integrated results of the study and the proposed strategies for improving working conditions in these public hospitals. A quantitative design was used to explore and describe the perspectives of health care personnel regarding the working conditions in public hospitals at a selected province in South Africa. Of the original sample of 378, 344 health care personnel, 59.2% rated the working conditions in their hospitals as poor. Lack of support from management (58.8%) poor communication, poor interpersonal relationships, workload, shift work and unsafe environment were cited as the main determinants of poor working conditions in these hospitals.