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Introduction: Healthcare professionals' shortage, low job satisfaction, high levels of burnout, and excessive staff turnover are some of the challenges health systems face worldwide. In Switzerland, healthcare stakeholders have called to address the health workforce crisis and have pointed out the scarcity of data on the conditions of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Hence, the Swiss Cohort of Healthcare Professionals and Informal Caregivers (SCOHPICA) was developed to study the career trajectories, well-being, intention to stay in or leave the position/profession/health sector, and their determinants, of HCPs and informal caregivers, respectively. This paper describes the protocol for the HCPs cohort of SCOHPICA and discusses its implications. Methods: SCOHPICA is a prospective open cohort using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. All types of HCPs working directly with patients and practicing in Switzerland are eligible, irrespective of their healthcare setting and employment status. Baseline and annual follow-up electronic surveys will take place once a year, featuring both core questions and modules developed according to information needs. While outcome variables are HCPs' trajectories, well-being, intention to stay in or leave the position/profession/health sector, independent variables include organizational, psychosocial, and psychological determinants, as well as occupational (professional) and sociodemographic factors. The qualitative phase will be organized every two years, inviting participants who agreed to take part in this phase. The findings from quantitative analyses, along with the issues raised by healthcare stakeholders in the field, will guide the topics investigated in the qualitative phase. Discussion: Using innovative methodologies, SCOHPICA will gather nationwide and longitudinal data on HCPs practicing in Switzerland. These data could have numerous implications: promoting the development of research related to HCPs' well-being and retention intentions; supporting the development of policies to improve working conditions and career prospects; contributing to the evolution of training curricula for future or current healthcare professionals; aiding in the development of health systems capable of delivering quality care; and finally, providing the general public and stakeholders with free and open access to the study results through an online dashboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Swiss Cohort of Healthcare Professionals and Informal Caregivers (SCOHPICA) was created to study the career trajectories, retention intentions, and wellbeing of healthcare professionals (HCPs), addressing challenges such as staff turnover, low job satisfaction and burnout. Methods: SCOHPICA is a prospective open cohort. An electronic questionnaire was used to collect data from HCPs across multiple healthcare settings in Switzerland, encompassing the intention to stay in the profession, wellbeing, and various organizational, psychosocial, occupational and sociodemographic determinants. Results: The first (2022) baseline sample included 1707 HCPs from over 20 professions. Notably, 13% did not intend to stay in their profession, with intermediate caregivers (24%), registered nurses (17%) and pharmacists (17%) reporting the highest rates. Pharmacists scored lowest in wellbeing. Across determinants, pharmacists, physicians, and registered nurses reported worse scores for workload and work-life balance. Nursing professions had lower scores in various determinants, including influence at work, staffing and resource adequacy, and possibilities for development. Conclusion: SCOHPICA will provide critical insights on HCPs' work conditions and experiences, supporting health workforce monitoring and management, and informing policy-making to ensure high-quality healthcare delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered a representative outcome in the evaluation of chronic disease management initiatives emphasizing patient-centered care. We evaluated the association between receipt of processes-of-care (PoC) for diabetes and HRQoL.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used self-reported data from non-institutionalized adults with diabetes in a Swiss canton. Outcomes were the physical/mental composites of the short form health survey 12 (SF-12) physical composite score, mental composite score (PCS, MCS) and the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL). Main exposure variables were receipt of six PoC for diabetes in the past 12 months, and the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) score. We performed linear regressions to examine the association between PoC, PACIC and the three composites of HRQoL.ResultsMean age of the 519 patients was 64.5 years (SD 11.3); 60% were male, 87% reported type 2 or undetermined diabetes and 48% had diabetes for over 10 years. Mean HRQoL scores were SF-12 PCS: 43.4 (SD 10.5), SF-12 MCS: 47.0 (SD 11.2) and ADDQoL: -1.6 (SD 1.6). In adjusted models including all six PoC simultaneously, receipt of influenza vaccine was associated with lower ADDQoL (β=-0.4, p≤0.01) and foot examination was negatively associated with SF-12 PCS (β=-1.8, p≤0.05). There was no association or trend towards a negative association when these PoC were reported as combined measures. PACIC score was associated only with the SF-12 MCS (β=1.6, p≤0.05).ConclusionsPoC for diabetes did not show a consistent association with HRQoL in a cross-sectional analysis. This may represent an effect lag time between time of process received and health-related quality of life. Further research is needed to study this complex phenomenon.

PurposeLow socioeconomic status is associated with higher prevalence of diabetes, worse outcomes, and worse quality of care. We explored the relationship between education, as a measure of socioeconomic status, and quality of care in the Swiss context.Patients and methodsData were drawn from a population-based survey of 519 adults with diabetes during fall 2011 and summer 2012 in a canton of Switzerland. We assessed patients and diabetes characteristics. Eleven indicators of quality of care were considered (six of process and five of outcomes of care). After bivariate analyses, regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and diabetic complications were performed to assess the relationship between education and quality of care.ResultsOf 11 quality-of-care indicators, three were significantly associated with education: funduscopy (patients with tertiary versus primary education were more likely to get the exam: odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.004-3.3) and two indicators of health-related quality of life (patients with tertiary versus primary education reported better health-related quality of life: Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life: β=0.6 [95% CI, 0.2-0.97]; SF-12 mean physical component summary score: β=3.6 [95% CI, 0.9-6.4]).ConclusionOur results suggest the presence of educational inequalities in quality of diabetes care. These findings may help health professionals focus on individuals with increased needs to decrease health inequalities.

Shortages of satisfied and well-trained health care professionals are an urgent threat for health systems worldwide. Although numerous studies have focused on retention issues for nurses and physicians, the situation for the allied health workforce remains understudied. We conducted a rapid review of the literature on allied health workers to investigate the main reasons for leaving their profession. 1,305 original research articles were retrieved from databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Epistemonikos, of which 29 were eligible for data extraction. Reviewed studies featured mainly pharmacists, psychologists, dietitians, physical therapists, emergency medical professionals, and occupational therapists. We categorized 17 typical factors of the intent to leave as organizational, psychological, team and management, and job characteristics. The relative importance of each factor was assessed by measuring its prevalence in the selected literature. By revealing common themes across allied health professions, our work suggests actionable insights to improve retention in these vital services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]