Occupational Stress and Burnout among Clinical Officers at Public Hospitals in Malawi: Impact Shifting to the General Public
Date
2023-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Abstract
In Malawi, there is a cadre of mid-level health workers called clinical officers who undertake duties conventionally designated for medical doctors in the wake of an acute shortage of the latter. The use of clinical officers as substitutes for medical doctors is one example of a strategy called task shifting that is implemented as a temporary remedy for the shortage of human resources in healthcare. This is a study on the experiences of clinical officers with occupational stress and burnout at public hospitals in Malawi. The study adopted a qualitative research design with a case study as a research strategy. The study was conducted at four district hospitals and one central hospital, all of which are state-owned. One shortcoming of the framing of occupational safety and health in Malawi is the narrow scope and coverage of the regulation on occupational safety and health. This narrow scope of the regulation of occupational safety and health is limited to physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The psychosocial hazards are therefore neglected by the regulation on occupational safety and health. Another shortcoming of the framing of occupational safety and health in Malawi is that the coverage of the regulation on occupational safety and health exempts service sectors like healthcare. This exemption, therefore, gives the impression that healthcare in Malawi is immune to occupational safety and health hazards. This study challenges the narrow scope and coverage of the regulation on occupational safety and health in Malawi that neglects psychosocial hazards and exempts healthcare. The overall aim of the study was to expose the impacts on public health that can be associated with the neglect of psychosocial hazards and the exclusion of healthcare from the regulation of occupational safety and health. This study demonstrates that there are psychosocial hazards at public hospitals that predispose clinical officers to occupational stress and burnout. These are excessive workload, long hours of work, poor interprofessional relations, restructuring, COVID-19 responses, and the absence of occupational and safety management systems. The study further illustrates that psychosocial hazards at public hospitals are a breeding ground for various health problems among clinical officers that emanate from occupational stress and burnout. These health problems include emotional and cognitive effects; injuries; high blood pressure (hypertension); muscle tension or pain; and severe headaches. These health problems negatively affect the quality of life among clinical officers and their performance on the job. The study, therefore, concludes that occupational stress and burnout among clinical officers ultimately affect health outcomes in the broader population. For instance, the study demonstrates how the consequences of OS and burnout among clinical officers are consequently externalised to patients and the general public through the poor quality of healthcare services. In this study, the externalisation of the negative effects of occupational stress and burnout on clinical officers to the patients and the general public, is referred to as impact shifting. This study conceptualises and proposes a theoretical framework for analysing occupational safety and health in Malawi, with a particular focus on psychosocial hazards at public hospitals. The theoretical framework comprises three theoretical perspectives, namely: attribution theory, job demands-resources model, and fundamental cause theory. This study, therefore, offers a theoretical foundation and empirical evidence drawn from the experiences of clinical officers with occupational stress and burnout. The theoretical foundation and empirical evidence can inform the reframing of the scope and coverage of the regulation on occupational safety and health. Finally, this study also conceptualises and proposes a framework for the formulation of a comprehensive policy on occupational safety and health for public health facilities in the context of Malawi.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements of a doctoral degree (PhD) in Sociology, at the School of Social Sciences, in 2023.
Keywords
Clinical officers, Occupational stress, Burnout, Occupational safety and health, Psychosocial hazards, Public hospitals, Malawi, UCTD
Citation
Chinguwo, Paliani. (2023). Occupational Stress and Burnout among Clinical Officers at Public Hospitals in Malawi: Impact Shifting to the General Public. [PhD thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39894