Psychosocial Safety Climate and Healthcare Worker Safety During Infectious Disease Outbreak: A Case Study of Covid-19 At Regional Hospitals in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how psychosocial safety climate (PSC), social support, perceived stress and fear of COVID-19 influence the safety state of the healthcare workers at regional hospitals in Ghana and also explored the safety measures management, and workers set up to protect the well-being of workers during the pandemic. This study was guided by pragmatic philosophy, using the concurrent mixed-method design that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses. The study found that 60.4% and 32.5% in the regional hospitals in Ghana perceived a high and low levels of PSC respectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. 55.4% of healthcare workers also experienced extreme levels of fear related to COVID-19 infection at the time of the pandemic. Average sleep duration (AOR -1.371, P-0.024) was the only significant socio-demographic predictor of healthcare workers' perceived safety status during the pandemic. PSC (P-0.001), social support (P- 0.001), perceived stress (P-0.001) and fear of COVID-19 (P-0.005) were also significant predictors of healthcare workers' safety status during the outbreak. The study also identified several safety measures implemented by healthcare management and workers during the pandemic that aimed at shielding the health, safety and well-being of the workers. Improving awareness and implementation of PSC measures were recommended as crucial for fostering a supportive work environment in Ghana's regional hospitals during infectious disease outbreak. Support services such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) could be of immense help during infectious disease outbreaks, provisions for adequate rest periods and flexible shift scheduling, sleep hygiene education and intervention among others were major recommendations in the study.