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

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Clinician well-being is vital, especially post-COVID-19, which increased psychological distress.
• Disparities in well-being between rural and urban clinicians require investigation.
• The NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ) is used to assess clinician well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine well-being disparities between rural and urban clinicians.
• To identify specific challenges faced by clinicians in different healthcare settings.
• To inform the development of targeted occupational health interventions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey of 222 clinicians in North Carolina (urban and rural hospitals).
• Utilized the NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ) across five domains.
• Analyzed data to identify concerning well-being thresholds, validated through reviews and focus groups.

Main Results:

• Urban clinicians reported higher concerning thresholds in well-being compared to rural clinicians.
• Rural hospitals faced issues with time, workload, benefits, and mental health.
• Urban hospitals experienced work fatigue, low engagement, poor culture, and trust issues.
• Both settings reported concerns regarding physical environment, safety, violence, and harassment.

Conclusions:

• Significant well-being disparities exist between urban and rural clinicians.
• Urban clinicians face higher concerning thresholds, necessitating focused support.
• Tailored occupational health interventions are crucial for improving clinician well-being in diverse settings.