General health and working conditions of Flemish primary care professionals

Abstract Background The Quintuple aim explicitly includes ‘health and wellbeing of the care team’ as requirement for the care of patients. Therefore, we examined working conditions, work engagement and health status of professionals active in primary care in Belgium (Flanders), and how these are interrelated. Methods Data of the cross-sectional ‘Health professionals survey of the Flemish Primary care academy’ of 2020 were examined. We performed logistic regression analyses to study the relationship between working conditions and self-reported dichotomized health of primary care professionals (... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Buffel, Veerle
Sirimsi, Muhammed Mustafa
De Vriendt, Patricia
Van de Velde, Dominique
Lahousse, Lies
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Reihe/Periodikum: BMC Primary Care ; volume 24, issue 1 ; ISSN 2731-4553
Verlag/Hrsg.: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Schlagwörter: Family Practice
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26701468
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-02082-w

Abstract Background The Quintuple aim explicitly includes ‘health and wellbeing of the care team’ as requirement for the care of patients. Therefore, we examined working conditions, work engagement and health status of professionals active in primary care in Belgium (Flanders), and how these are interrelated. Methods Data of the cross-sectional ‘Health professionals survey of the Flemish Primary care academy’ of 2020 were examined. We performed logistic regression analyses to study the relationship between working conditions and self-reported dichotomized health of primary care professionals (sample size = 1033). Results The majority of respondents (90%) reported having a good to very good general health and has a strong work engagement. Quality of employment was high, in particular regarding job security and supportive relations with colleagues, while less in terms of proper rewards and job career opportunities. Working as self-employee (vs. as salaried employee), and in a multidisciplinary group practice (vs. other organizational settings) were positively related to health. Work engagement and all dimensions of employment quality were related to general health, but work family balance, proper rewards, and perceived employability were independently positively related to self-reported health. Conclusion Nine out of 10 Flemish primary care professionals working in diverse conditions, employment arrangements and organizational settings report good health. Work family balance, proper rewards, and perceived employability were important for primary care professionals’ health, and could provide opportunities to further strengthen the job quality and health of primary care professionals.