Prevalence and determinants of occupational injuries among emergency medical technicians in Northern Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are the primary providers of prehospital emergency medical services. The operations of EMTs increase their risks of being exposed to occupational injuries. However, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, therefore, sought to estimate the prevalence and determinants of occupational injuries among EMTs in the northern part of Ghana. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 154 randomly recruited EMTs in the northern part of Ghana. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data on participants' demographic characteristics, facility-related factors, personal protective equipment use, and occupational injuries. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses with a backward stepwise approach were used to examine the determinants of occupational injuries among EMTs. RESULTS: In the 12 months preceding data collection, the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs was 38.6%. Bruises (51.8%), and sprains/strains (14.3%) were the major types of injuries reported among the EMTs. The key determinants of occupational injury among EMTs were male sex (AOR: 3.39, 95%CI: 1.41-8.17), an absence of a health and safety committee at the workplace (AOR: 3.92, 95%CI: 1.63-9.43), absence of health and safety policy at the workplace (AOR: 2.76, 95%CI: 1.26-6.04) and dissatisfaction with health and safety measures at the workplace (AOR: 2.51, 95%CI: 1.10-5.71). CONCLUSION: In the twelve months before to the data collection for this study, the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs of the Ghana National Ambulance Service was high. The creation of health and safety committees, the creation of health and safety rules, and the strengthening of current health and safety procedures for EMTs are all possible ways to lessen this.

Attrition of Nursing Professionals in Ghana: An Effect of Burnout on Intention to Quit.

Background: Burnout among nursing professionals at the workplace and how it influences their decision to quit the profession is crucial to the delivery of quality health service. The shortage of nursing professionals has serious consequences on the healthcare system. Aim: To examine the effect of burnout on intention to quit the profession among nursing professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 375 randomly selected nursing professionals in active service at a tertiary healthcare setting in Kumasi, Ghana. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to determine burnout, and their intention to quit the profession was assessed by asking participants whether they ever thought about quitting the profession in the past 12 months. The effect of burnout on intention to quit was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of burnout among participants was 2.1% (8/375) with 10.1% (38/375), 24.0% (90/375), and 56.3% (211/375) experiencing high emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment, respectively. Nearly half (49.3%, 185/375) of the participants had intention to quit the profession. Emotional exhaustion (adjusted odds tatio, AOR = 5.46; 95% CI = 2.25-13.20), depersonalisation (AOR = 1.77 95% CI = 1.07-2.95), and personal accomplishment (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.30-3.96) were associated with intention to quit the profession. Conclusion: Burnout has a negative effect causing intention to quit nursing profession. It is imperative to identify strategies such as occupational health surveillance that will aim at reducing the incidence of burnout at the workplace due to its consequences, one of them being the intention to quit.