Abstract
Working conditions in OOH-PC centres in Romania: an interview study with healthcare professionals
European Journal of Public Health, Vol.34(Supplement 3), pp.729-729
European Public Health Conference, 17th (Lisbon, Portugal, 13-Nov-2024–15-Nov-2024)
2024
PMCID: PMC11517558
Abstract
Considering the amplifying primary care workforce shortage, the existing knowledge gaps in out-of-hours primary care delivery (OOH-PC) in Romania, as well as the extreme county-to-county variation in the number of functioning OOH-PC centers across the country, from 0 to 32, we set out to document health workers’ perspectives on existing challenges in after hours primary care. Using a qualitative study design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 20 healthcare professionals (HCPs): family doctors and nurses providing clinical services in urban and rural OOH-PC centres, family doctors with coordinating and administrative roles, representatives of professional associations and health authorities, as well as emergency doctors and paediatricians. We examined interview transcripts employing thematic analysis. The data collected and analysed revealed several challenges in the provision of care, including physician shortages, increasing workload, low payments, and an organisational model that lacks coordination with other levels of care and services. The analysis of the interview data identified five key themes related to adverse working conditions in OOH-PC: working hours and shift length, increasing workload and patient influx, obstacles to achieving work-life balance, inconveniences related to OOH centre premises (rest space, security), and insufficient financial compensation for after-hours health service provision. Working conditions in OOH-PC centers in Romania constitute a drawback to after hours primary care service provision. Health workers shortage and extreme variation in the number of functioning centres across the country suggest inconsistencies in the governance of OOH-PC. Improving working conditions to recruit and retain health professionals in OOH-PC, combined with targeted policies to optimise organisation and coordination of OOH-PC with other levels of care are as timely as ever to ensure equitable services to the population.
Details
- Title
- Working conditions in OOH-PC centres in Romania: an interview study with healthcare professionals
- Authors
- S Ciotlăuș (Corresponding Author) - Babeș-Bolyai UniversityI M Ungureanu - Babeș-Bolyai UniversityF Oprescu - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- European Journal of Public Health, Vol.34(Supplement 3), pp.729-729
- Conference details
- European Public Health Conference, 17th (Lisbon, Portugal, 13-Nov-2024–15-Nov-2024)
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.1879
- ISSN
- 1464-360X
- PMID
- PMC11517558
- Copyright note
- © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
- Organisation Unit
- Engage Research Lab; School of Health - Public Health
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991080798202621
- Output Type
- Abstract
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