Healthcare professionals’ job motivation in a federal hospital in Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional study

Background: Healthcare professional motivation is crucial for delivering high-quality healthcare in any setting. However, low motivation is a significant challenge in developing countries like Ethiopia, where workforce shortages and a weak healthcare system strain to handle an increasing patient flow.This study aimed to assess the motivation levels and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at ALERT Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2022 among 293 healthcare professionals. Participants were selected from the pool of permanent hospital employees who were actively working at the time of the study. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured, self-administered questionnaire. Motivation level was assessed using 23 questions under 7 constructs that are measured on a five-point likert scale and finally reported as a standardized percentage of scale maximum (% SM). To identify factors associated with motivation level, a multiple linear regression analysis was run at 5% level of significance, where regression coefficient (β) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to interpret significant results.Results: The participants' job motivation level was 41.6% (95%CI: 39.8-43.6%). Being a doctor was associated with a significantly lower level of motivation than nurses (β=-7.94, 95%CI=-11.80, -4.07, p<0.001). On the other hand, significantly high motivation levels were associated with having a managerial role (β=3.95, 95% CI=0.74,7.15, p=0.016), availability of adequate resources for effective work performance (β=2.77, 95% CI=1.27,4.27, p<0.0001), and low practice of subjective performance appraisal system (β=2.41, 95%CI=1.02,3.79, p=0.001).Conclusion: The healthcare professionals' level of motivation was moderate. Designing interventions to minimize workload, and improve decision making power, resources availability, and performance appraisal system is crucial. Further multi-center study using a mixed-methods design is essential to gain an in-depth understanding and reach a more generalizable finding.