Influence of latent risk factors on job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave in anaesthesia teams: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Context: Current thinking about patient safety emphasises the causal relationship between working conditions, referred to as latent risk factors (LRFs), and the quality of clinical care.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which LRFs are related to job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave for specialist anaesthetists, trainee anaesthetists and nurse anaesthetists. We expected the different members of the anaesthesia team to show differing perceptions of LRFs, and differences in predictive LRFs for well-being.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Three university hospitals in the Netherlands.

Participants: One hundred and nine specialist anaesthetists, 46 trainee anaesthetists and 115 nurse anaesthetists.

Outcome measures: LRFs were measured as independent variables. Job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave were measured as dependent variables. The differences between groups on LRFs, job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. The contribution of outcomes and LRFs were tested by regression analyses.

Results: The overall response rate was 62%. More than 60% of the professionals reported unfavourably on access to information and quality of procedures. Nurse anaesthetists reported more problems for every LRF than specialist anaesthetists and trainee anaesthetists. LRFs accounted for a significant proportion of variance in job satisfaction: 63% in specialist anaesthetists, 55% in trainee anaesthetists and 42% in nurse anaesthetists. LRFs also explained important parts of the variance in intention to leave in specialist anaesthetists (41%) and nurse anaesthetists (21%). LRFs accounted for a significant proportion of variance in stress: 25% in specialist anaesthetists and 22% in nurse anaesthetists. Only working hours was a predictor of stress in trainee anaesthetists (22%).

Conclusion: LRFs are important correlates of the well-being of anaesthesia staff. Important differences between the different members of the anaesthesia team emerged in the set of LRFs that affect their well-being. These differences should be taken into account both in research and intervention projects.