Job satisfaction in emergency departments: a comparative study of public and private hospitals

Abstract

Background/Aims Evaluating job satisfaction levels among healthcare staff can inform decision making for managers. Various factors can affect job satisfaction. This study investigated and compared job satisfaction among healthcare staff working in private and public emergency departments in Jordan. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 475 staff members, of which 286 were returned and analysed (50% from private hospitals). Descriptive analysis, independent sample t-tests and multiple regression analysis were used to compare the results based on hospital type and participant characteristics. Results Staff working in public emergency departments had significantly lower levels of job satisfaction than those working in private emergency departments (P<0.001). The lowest scoring domain across both groups was promotion and compensation. Doctors were more likely to have low job satisfaction than staff in other job roles. Conclusions Assessing job satisfaction is important for ensuring staff wellbeing and retention. Further research is needed to understand why staff in public hospitals have lower levels of job satisfaction and what could be done to address this.