Speaker
Description
Laboratory sample referral is essential for epidemic-prone infectious disease surveillance and response particularly in areas where settlements are dispersed and timely laboratory result is needed for public health action. Delayed results lead to inadequate healthcare workers satisfaction with laboratory sample referral system which affects adequate service delivery. Nonetheless, there is limited study on healthcare workers satisfaction with laboratory sample referral systems (SRS) and its associated factors. Therefore, this study examined the determinants of healthcare workers’ satisfaction with laboratory sample referral systems in the Northern Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional study involving 309 healthcare workers was conducted to evaluate the SRS with respect to the collection, handling, and referral of samples. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including spearman’s correlation, mediation analysis and ordered logistic regression. The result shows that more than half of the respondents were male (57.3%) and 34.3% were between 26 and 30 years old. The mean satisfaction was recorded to be 1.82 (SD=±1.14). Also, mean knowledge was recorded to be 1.79 (SD=±1.17) and attitude 1.75 (SD=±1.07). Knowledge (r=0.63) and attitude (r=0.70) showed moderate positive correlation with satisfaction. The mediation analysis showed that attitude significantly mediated the relationship between knowledge and satisfaction (B = 1.30, SE = 0.16, CI = 0.98–1.62) mediating 47% of the relationship between knowledge and satisfaction. In the ordered logistic regression, knowledge (aOR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.04–1.31; p = 0.007) and attitude (aOR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.27–1.52; p < 0.001) predicted satisfaction. This study revealed knowledge and attitude as key factors in improving satisfaction with the laboratory sample referral system and also established that knowledge improves satisfaction through attitude leading to improvement of service delivery and outcomes. It is therefore necessary to improve both technical and perceptual dimensions of sample referral systems to enhance healthcare workers’ satisfaction, which in turn has direct implications for the efficiency and sustainability of epidemic-prone infectious disease surveillance in Ghana