MAINTENANCE OF WORK ABILITY AMONG HOSPITAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Cilj rada bio je istražiti vrijednosti pokazatelja radne sposobnosti (Work Ability Index -WAI) kod bolničkih zdravstvenih djelatnika i analizirati čimbenike koji mogu utjecati na radnu sposobnost. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 1856 zdravstvenih djelatnika zaposlenih u zagrebačkim bolnicama. Korišteni su upitnici za određivanje pokazatelja radne sposobnosti i stresora na radnom mjestu bolničkih zdravstvenih djelatnika. Prosječni pokazatelj radne sposobnosti (WAI) svih ispitanika je 38,68±6,28 što ukazuje na vrlo dobru radnu sposobnost. Analizirajući kategorije WAI-a (loš, dobar, vrlo dobar, izvrstan), vidljivo je da mali broj djelatnika ima loš WAI. Između liječnika i medicinskih sestara dobivena je značajna razlika u učestalosti pojedinih kategorija. Iako su liječnici značajnije stariji od medicinskih sestara, u liječnika je pokazatelj radne sposobnosti češće izvrstan, a u medicinskih sestara dobar i vrlo dobar. Dobivena je značajna razlika između pojedinih dobnih skupina. Analizom podataka identificirani su spol, dob, radni staž i stresori na radu kao značajni prediktori pokazatelja radne sposobnosti. Radna sposobnost zdravstvenih djelatnika značajno je negativno povezana sa svim stresorima. Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazali su da zdravstveni djelatnici u zagrebačkim bolnicama imaju prosječno vrlo dobru radnu sposobnost, ali da manji broj djelatnika ima niske vrijednosti pokazatelja radne sposobnosti. Temeljem rezultata predlažu se preventivne mjere za očuvanje radne sposobnosti.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the values of the Work Ability Index (WAI) and to analyze the factors that may be associated with work ability among hospital health care professionals. Methods: A total of 1856 health care professionals employed at 5 Zagreb hospitals participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the Work Ability Index Questionnaire and Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire for hospital health care professionals. Results: The average WAI of all participants was 38.68±6.28, indicating very good work ability. WAI was significantly higher in men than in women, 40.43±5.81 and 38.27±6.32, respectively (p<0.001). Younger participants had greater WAI compared with those of older age groups (p<0.001). There was a substantial difference in the proportions of participants in the categories of WAI (poor, good, very good and excellent) between physicians and nurses (p<0.001). Although physicians were considerably older than nurses (p<0.001), the proportion of those with excellent WAI was greater among physicians than among nurses, suggesting that the jobs of highly educated participants, which are characterized by broad decision-making latitude and promotion possibilities maintain work ability better in comparison with low decision-making latitude jobs and low control jobs. About 5 percent of all participants had poor WAI. We identified the following significant predictors of suboptimal WAI among health care professionals: female sex, age, service accrual, and stressors related to organization and financial issues (p