The Role of Job Satisfaction on Healthcare Quality

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Course:Dual Enrollment: English
Professor: Miss
Date: 10/26/22
The Role of Job Satisfaction on Healthcare Quality
Introduction
Currently, the healthcare sector is experiencing stiff competition as well as increasing expectations and needs from patients. For the sector to meet these new challenges, it is necessary to develop and expand continuously to offer high-quality services. Policymakers and healthcare organizations ought to consider the significance of work motivation in achieving both organizational and industry goals. Besides, they should comprehend the relationship between the current policies and employee motivation. Job satisfaction enables employees to enjoy performing their duties, especially in health settings. By definition, job satisfaction refers to how employees feel and perceive their work. Brimhall and Barak (2018) define job satisfaction as an emotional state where the employee gains some sense of gratification when working, combined with achieving desired results over a period. As one of the crucial factors influencing organizational and work psychology, job satisfaction is considered an indicator of working-life quality. Additionally, as highlighted by Stefan et al. (2020), it is one of the crucial variables utilized in the determination of the quality of healthcare systems. Quality of care refers to the ability of health services provided to patients to achieve the most desired outcomes (Stefan et al., 2020). The majority of healthcare facilities offer primary care for the majority of people at the personal and community level. Subsequently, the satisfaction obtained by healthcare workers from their job is the most significant indicator for determining their performance. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory develops a framework for assessing job satisfaction in humans. In particular, consisting of five levels, this framework forms the basis of explaining human behavior as well as how different needs can be satisfied to achieve self-actualization. Understanding the effects of job satisfaction on the level of healthcare quality provided in healthcare settings is essential to develop appropriate ways to enhance it, thus ensuring client satisfaction and reducing adverse outcomes.
Proposal
More than ten years after the publication of To Err Is Human, the Institute of Medicine’s report on medical blunders, patients are still concerned about the healthcare quality in hospitals. According to Stefan et al. (2020), patients' satisfaction with healthcare seems to leave space for improvement. In particular, at least 33% of patients acknowledge that they cannot commend their hospital to friends and family. Unfortunately, patients' dissatisfaction with the quality of healthcare is linked to nurses' dissatisfaction. Reasonably, patients can anticipate caregivers to be positively involved in their work and nurses to be capable of delivering services efficiently in a supportive environment. Nonetheless, such an environment is not always the case.
Caregivers have reported the unconducive nature of their work, which prevents them from offering patient-centered care. The association between patient safety and nurses' working conditions has also been acknowledged by the IOM. According to the IOM, the work environment in the healthcare setting and staffing levels influence nurse burnout and job satisfaction.
Healthcare institutions will likely face a myriad of challenges in the future without adequate preparations. The future challenges are attributable to the potential deficits in the number of personnel and organizational changes. With the challenges looming, the healthcare workforce might face job dissatisfaction. Various researchers have investigated the possible impacts of job dissatisfaction in the healthcare sector. For instance, Andersen et al. (2020) set out to study the effect of organizational changes on the job satisfaction of healthcare workers and the quality of healthcare services in Norwegian hospitals. Using a cross-sectional research design, Andersen et al. recruited nurses and auxiliary nurses working in medical wards at three different healthcare facilities. The findings of their research indicated that job satisfaction could only be possible in a stable labor force that works efficiently.
It is vital to understand the role that job satisfaction plays at any health institution to ensure constant enhancement that will ultimately maintain a high quality of services. Gillet et al. (2018) researched the role of selected work factors on job satisfaction, staff turnover, and quality of care in 11 oncology units. These work factors included perceived supervisor support, value congruence, and hospital nurse staffing. To achieve the goals of their studies, Gillet et al. (2018) administered a cross-sectional questionnaire that was distributed in 11 oncology units. According to Gillet et al., psychological need satisfaction partially mediated the impacts of the perceived supervisor support, hospital nurse staffing, and value congruence on job satisfaction. Additionally, job satisfaction was found to be positively linked to turnover intentions. In other words, the findings of Gillet et al.’s study indicated that job satisfaction had a positive correlation with the quality of care while it had a negative link to the overall turnover intentions of employees. Therefore, the quality of care thus directly resonates with the ability of nurses and physicians to provide services in health institutions. Overall, the outcomes offer an understanding of the impact of perceived supervisor support, hospital staffing, and value congruence on the attitudes and behaviors of nurses.
Job satisfaction is a crucial predictor of employee turnover. In essence, staff turnover depends on the work environment and job satisfaction rate in health care. Various researchers have investigated the relationship between job satisfaction and staff turnover in healthcare settings. For example, Sabei et al. (2019) surveyed nurses’ perceptions of the relationship between the work environment and turnover while examining the moderating role of job satisfaction. Notably, Sabei et al.’s study had two objectives. The first goal was to assess the potential moderating role of job satisfaction on the link between nurse turnover intentions. The second goal was to evaluate the predictors of turnover intention, perceived quality of care, and burnout among nurses in Oman. In Sabei et al.'s research, aspects affecting job satisfaction included personal characteristics, client outcomes, job characteristics, and organizational characteristics. The outcomes of the study revealed that involvement in hospital affairs and staffing adequacy were significant predictors of burnout among nurses. Logistic regression showed that working in a favorable work environment was less related to turnover intention. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that nurse job satisfaction could be increased through empowerment that provides active roles.
Job satisfaction is a critical factor that significantly affects practitioners' productivity and ability to provide excellent services. Besides positively influencing staff turnover, job satisfaction substantially shapes the productivity of the staff and their capacity to offer excellent healthcare services. Halawani et al. (2021) researched the impact of job satisfaction on the quality of care provided by healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. According to Halawani et al., job satisfaction is an important parameter affecting employee productivity and the quality of their service. The findings of Halawani et al.’s (x) showed that patient satisfaction and stress management considerably influenced the participants’ satisfaction with their work. Additionally, poor management was the highest variable influencing the quality of care offered by the hospital. Overall, the study highlighted a strong relationship between the quality of care offered and job satisfaction.
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