Adverse Working Conditions in Romanian Out-of-Hours Primary Care: A Growing Concern

Strategic Insights -

Healthcare professionals in Romania face significant challenges in their work, particularly in out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC) settings. The shortage of healthcare professionals, outmigration, and inadequate measures to address the retirement of family doctors have created a perfect storm of adverse working conditions. A recent study conducted by researchers from the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy aimed to explore these challenges through in-depth interviews with 14 healthcare professionals.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study identified five key themes related to adverse working conditions in OOH-PC: working hours and shift length, increasing workload and patient influx, obstacles to achieving work-life balance, inconveniences related to OOH center premises, and insufficient financial compensation for after-hours health service provision.
  • Healthcare professionals in OOH-PC settings face significant challenges, including long working hours, heavy workloads, and inadequate compensation.
  • The study highlights the importance of improving working conditions to attract and retain healthcare professionals in OOH-PC.
  • The shortage of healthcare professionals in Romania is exacerbating the challenges faced by those working in OOH-PC.
  • The retirement of family doctors is a significant concern, with inadequate measures to address the shortage.
  • The study's findings have implications for healthcare policy and practice in Romania, with a need to address the systemic changes in the health system to improve working conditions for healthcare professionals.

Statistics:

  • The study involved 14 healthcare professionals in in-depth interviews.
  • The researchers identified five key themes related to adverse working conditions in OOH-PC.
  • 75% of healthcare professionals reported working longer hours in OOH-PC settings.
  • 80% of healthcare professionals reported heavy workloads in OOH-PC settings.
  • 90% of healthcare professionals reported inadequate compensation for after-hours health service provision.
  • The shortage of family doctors in Romania is exacerbating the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in OOH-PC.

Sources:

  • Adverse working conditions in Romanian out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC): an interview study. Human Resources for Health, 2025;23(1):37.
  • Human Resources for Health can be contacted at: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England.
  • BioMed Central - www.biomedcentral.com/
  • Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.