Date of Award

11-8-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Policy and Management

First Advisor

Dr. Rozina Karmaliani

Department

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

Background: Healthcare facilities are globally facing the dilemma of workplace harassment, as it has long-term negative effects on healthcare providers. Due to their close and first contact with patients and their attendants, healthcare providers are considered a high-risk population to encounter workplace harassment. Workplace harassment is considered a major reason for work-related distress and subsequently, psychological well-being issues for healthcare providers. The present study identified the experiences of healthcare providers regarding workplace harassment in the Gilgit District, Pakistan.
Objectives: The study focused on the assessment of the understanding and experiences of healthcare providers, regarding workplace harassment in Gilgit District, Pakistan.
Methodology: The study adopted a Qualitative-Exploratory Descriptive design to collect information from the healthcare providers regarding their understanding of workplace harassment through their knowledge and experiences, along with the incharges of the healthcare facilities regarding the reporting system of such incidents in Gilgit District, Pakistan. A semi-structured interview guide was developed to conduct the In-depth interviews (IDIs) with the healthcare providers and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with the incharges of the selected healthcare facilities. The study was conducted in a public (secondary care) health facility and a contracted-out (primary care) health facility in Gilgit District, Pakistan. Participants were selected from four different cadres of the health workforce including, doctors, dentists, nurses, and LHVs. A total of 15 interviews were conducted with the healthcare providers and incharges of the two health facilities. The data was collected in a one-month time frame i.e., from August 2022 to September 2022. The recordings were transcribed and coded and thematic data analysis was carried out using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach.
Findings: The responses obtained from the participants were manually analyzed by an emerging content analysis approach along with framework analysis. The participants indicated the regularity of workplace harassment incidents, lack of awareness regarding their employee rights, detrimental effects of harassment incidents on their mental and physical health, unavailability of actions by the authorities, and absence of a formal reporting system and institutional policies for workplace harassment. There were several gaps which were identified by the incharges of the facilities such as insignificance of workplace harassment in Gilgit Baltistan, fear of the influential people affecting the reporting of such incidents, lack of training and awareness sessions focusing primarily on workplace harassment, poor safety and security of the healthcare providers and absence of an individual committee to address workplace harassment which could also help in policy implementation.
Conclusion: The findings of this study highlighted the interconnectedness of the infrastructures, HCPs, patients, and their attendants in the harassment cycle along with government and healthcare settings. It was concluded that to manage and possibly prevent harassment, it is important to address any discrepancies between patient expectations and the treatments that are provided. According to our study findings, recognizing the causes of harassment is crucial due to its detrimental effects on employees' mental health and well-being as well as their productivity. In this context, the study intends to contribute to the formulation and implementation of measures to avoid workplace harassment in the health sector.

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