research day - University of Toronto Department of Obstetrics and ...

32
ABSTRACT #O7
JOB SATISFACTION AMONG PHYSICIANS AND NURSES IN A TEACHING AND
REFERRAL HOSPITAL IN WESTERN KENYA: DO PARTNERSHIPS WITH HIGH
RESOURCE INSTITUTIONS IN NORTH AMERICA MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Sarah E Sinasac[R](1), Sarah J. Taleski(3), Rachel F. Spitzer(1), Elkanah O. Omenge(2).
(1)Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto. (2)Department of
Reproductive Health, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. (3)Dalla Lana School of Public Health,
University of Toronto.
Objective: Over the past decade the ASANTE Consortium, led by Indiana University and Moi
University School of Medicine (MUSOM) in Eldoret, Kenya, has worked to build a sustainable
partnership within their Departments of Internal Medicine (DIM) and Pediatrics (DP). A new
partnership involving the University of Toronto and MUSOM’s Department of Reproductive
Health (DRH) has recently begun. Collaborative efforts to improve the delivery of reproductive
health care and thereby improve staff satisfaction are being implemented. Job satisfaction among
health care providers has been linked to patient satisfaction, job performance and job retention, and
is therefore an important marker of the impact that such collaborations may have. The objective
was to compare levels of job satisfaction between departments with existing international
partnerships and the DRH.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was given to a sample of nurses and physicians from
all three departments. The previously validated global job satisfaction (GJS) scale ranged from 5-
25, with 5 being high satisfaction.
Results: 40 DRH, 35 DIM and 38 DP staff participated, for a total of 113. The median GJS score
was 12 (Inter-quartile range: 9-17). Differences in GJS were noted by staff position (consultants
more satisfied than nurses or junior physicians; p=0.006), and gender (males more satisfied than
females; p=0.01). GJS did not vary by department.
Conclusion: The presence of an international collaboration between low- and high-resource
educational institutions does not appear to have a direct effect on levels of global job satisfaction
among health care providers. Further exploration of the factors which contribute to job satisfaction
will need to be considered to assist in the development of a successful partnership.