Exploring Well-Being Disparities: A Comparative Analysis of Urban and Rural Clinicians Using the NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adapa K ; Baernholdt M ; Bissram J ; Epstein B ; Lee N ; Mazur LM
• Description:
  Background: Clinician well-being is crucial to the healthcare system, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which intensified psychological distress among clinicians. This study examines well-being disparities between rural and urban clinicians using the NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 222 clinicians from one urban and three rural hospitals in North Carolina between September and December 2022. The WellBQ assessed well-being across five domains. Data analysis identified concerning thresholds based on positive and negative responses, with discrepancies resolved through independent reviews and focus group validation. Findings: In the work evaluation and experience domain, rural hospitals reported concerns with time paucity and work overload, while urban hospitals focused on work-related fatigue and job engagement. Rural hospitals noted issues with job benefits, health programs, and schedule flexibility, whereas urban hospitals emphasized the lack of supportive work culture and management trust. Both settings reported concerns in the physical environment and safety climate domain, including sexual harassment, physical violence, and bullying. Health status concerns in rural hospitals included overall stress and poor mental health, while urban hospitals highlighted chronic health conditions and risky drinking. Conclusion: This study identified significant well-being disparities between rural and urban clinicians, with urban hospitals showing higher concerning thresholds. Future research should refine these thresholds, explore workplace violence causes, and assess long-term impacts on clinician well-being. Applications to Practice: This study reveals significant well-being disparities between rural and urban clinicians, emphasizing the need for tailored occupational health interventions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Fatigue Health Personnel Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Surveys And Questionnaires Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Clinicians Cross Sectional Studies Health Care Workers Job Stress Mental Health Questionnaires Safety Climate The NIOSH WellBQ Threshold Well-being Work Experience Workplace Violence

  More +
• ISSN:
  2165-0799
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; North Carolina ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070800
• Citation:
  Workplace Health Saf 2025 Mar; :[Epub ahead of print]
• Contact Point Address:
  Lukasz M. Mazur, Division of Healthcare Engineering, Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7512, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7512
• Email:
  lmazur@med.unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Workplace Health & Safety
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:06aa36f8bff34e0c620f916650e5a420add1186548166f84c8d6f90a0d03a21208d2d6af5dc9a2d2b7a77942b939778549b8ae86f91d9d77348a4a9555bcd2f6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208954/cdc_208954_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 215.65 KB ]