Workplace bullying among medical laboratory professionals in Ghana: insights from self-reported experiences, challenges to mitigation structures, and coping strategies.

Journal: BMC health services research

Volume: 25

Issue: 1

Year of Publication: 2025

Affiliated Institutions:  Clinical Laboratory Department, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana. ivanprecy@gmail.com. College of Health and Allied Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Central Laboratory, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Clinical Laboratory Department, University of Cape Coast Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana. Institute of Leadership and Management in Education (InLaME), Accra, Ghana. Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.

Abstract summary 

Workplace bullying is a major concern in Ghana's healthcare sector, often arising from power imbalances and an excessive emphasis on achieving results at the cost of employee well-being. While bullying among healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses is well-documented, little is known about its prevalence among medical laboratory professionals, who play a vital role in patient care. We assessed bullying in this group to inform strategies for mitigation.We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 378 medical laboratory professionals. The survey included demographic information, workplace characteristics, the Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R), and questions about bullying perpetrators, mental health breaks, and anti-bullying policies. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistic regression. Results were reported as frequencies, percentages, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and statistical significance set at p < 0.05.44% of the medical laboratory professionals reported experiencing bullying; 29% faced frequent bullying, while 71% encountered it occasionally. Common issues included ignored opinions, unmanageable workloads, gossip, and exclusion. Non-clinical administrative managers were the most frequent perpetrators. Diploma and bachelor's degree holders had higher odds of being bullied compared to master's degree holders (AOR = 6.13, p = 0.013; AOR = 2.56, p = 0.007). Rural professionals had higher odds than urban counterparts (AOR = 2.23, p = 0.007).The high prevalence of workplace bullying among medical laboratory professionals highlights the need for effective policies to enhance workplace conditions and patient care.

Authors & Co-authors:  Duah Evans E Ephraim Richard Kobina Dadzie RKD Kotam Gabriel Pezahso GP Kumordzi Samuel Mawuli SM Amoah Samuel S Addy Nii Armah NA Kwashie Solomon Dzidzornu Yao SDY Rahamani Abu Abudu AA

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  United Nations. More than 1 in 5 worldwide suffering from violence at work: ILO. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131372 (2022). Accessed 20 Aug 2024.
Authors :  8
Identifiers
Doi : 310
SSN : 1472-6963
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Humans
Other Terms
Ghana;Healthcare productivity;Human resource;Medical laboratory;Occupational stress;Workplace bullying
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study,Descriptive Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Ghana
Publication Country
England