Factors that influence locum practice in public and faith-based hospitals in Malawi.

Background: Locum practice is a non-standard form of employment used to address the shortage of healthcare workers in hospitals. In Malawi, the locum practice is used to improvre the availability of healthcare workers and promote continuity of care. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the effective and efficient use of locum practice.

Aim: To explore the factors influencing locum practices in public and faith-based hospitals in Malawi.

Setting: Six public and faith-based hospitals in Malawi.

Methods: An exploratory descriptive design was used in the qualitative strand of this larger mixed-methods study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with hospital managers (n = 15) and focus group discussions (FGD) with nurses, medical officers, and clinical officers (n = 29). All the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: Locum practice was characterised by challenges related to healthcare workers working beyond the prescribed hours, a lack of orientation for locu staff, inconsistent locum rates, and delayed payments. The consequences of these challenges are compromised quality and safety of patient care.

Conclusion: Locum practice is associated with numerous challenges in both public and faith-based hospitals in resource-limited settings. This could be attributed to the lack of regulation, supervision and monitoring of locum practice.

Contribution: The findings suggest the need for the development and adherence to guidelines and policies for managing locum practice. Further studies could explore measures to retain permanent staff as a way of reducing the demand for locum staff.