Healthcare workers’ willingness to respond to duty during infectious disease outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries in the Western Pacific Region: a pilot study in Papua New Guinea

Anna Oswald; Matt Mason; Vanessa Sparke; Peta-Anne Zimmerman

doi:10.1071/MJ21005

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Healthcare workers’ willingness to respond to duty during infectious disease outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries in the Western Pacific Region: a pilot study in Papua New Guinea

Anna Oswald ^A , Matt Mason ^B ^* , Vanessa Sparke ^C and Peta-Anne Zimmerman ^D ^E

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority, Private Mail Bag, Mendi, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

^B School of Health, University of Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld 4556, Australia.

^C Discipline of Nursing and Midwifery, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

^D School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Southport, Qld 4215, Australia.

^E Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Southport, Qld 4215, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: mmason1@usc.edu.au

Handling Editors: Andrew Collins and William Pomat

Papua New Guinea Medical Journal 64, MJ21005 https://doi.org/10.1071/MJ21005

Submitted: 18 January 2022 Accepted: 25 July 2023 Published: 2 December 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Medical Society of Papua New Guinea. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

In high-income countries (HIC), health care workers’ (HCWs) willingness to respond (WTR) to work during an infectious disease outbreak is recognised as a challenge. Very little is known about healthcare workforce WTR in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Aim

To assess the suitability of a survey tool previously deployed in a HIC context for use in a LMIC setting to identify factors influencing HCWs WTR during infectious disease outbreaks.

Design

A cross-sectional pilot study was performed at the Mendi General Hospital (MGH), Papua New Guinea, using a survey tool adapted to the survey setting. Paper questionnaires were distributed to 70 frontline HCWs, with 54 completed forms returned to the research team. Descriptive analysis was undertaken for categorical data related to WTR and content analysis for qualitative data assessing suitability of the tool for the setting.

Findings

The survey was reported to be appropriate and suitable for an LMIC setting with the majority (89%) of the HCWs highlighting that they accepted the survey and found it to be simple and convenient to use. Generally, respondents (77%) reported that they would attend work if directed by their employer, 85% reported that it is their responsibility to go to work, and 84% highlighted that it would be unethical to refuse to go to work. Respondents highlighted that providing adequate personal protective equipment and other equipment, transport, medications, temporary accommodation, addressing their concerns about personal and family safety, paying incentives, and proper awareness about vaccination would increase their WTR.

Conclusion

The survey tool utilised in this pilot study is shown to be convenient and appropriate for an LMIC setting. Willingness to respond to work is a challenge for health systems in LMICs. This pilot study of HCWs at MGH has documented HCW’s perceptions of factors that influence their WTR during an infectious disease outbreak in a LMIC setting. It has also allowed HCWs to express concerns that can be addressed by health management teams, so that preparedness planning can be improved to increase HCWs WTR during disease outbreaks.

Keywords: healthcare workers, infectious disease outbreak, pandemic, willingness to respond.

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