Linking work engagement of emergency physicians to patient centricity in underdeveloped regions

Orientation: Health facilities in underdeveloped regions present their challenges in terms of research, especially regarding the work engagement (WE) of health workers, in this case, emergency physicians. Adjustments to existing research models are needed to obtain accurate responses. Patient centricity (PC) as a new term in healthcare is the estimated variable in this study. Research purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between the antecedents of WE and PC in emergency physicians who worked at hospitals in underdeveloped regions in Indonesia, incorporating WE as a mediator. Motivation for the study: Studies linking WE to PC have never been established. Furthermore, studies regarding WE have never been carried out in underdeveloped regions, and most of them are only limited to job resources as a benchmark. Research design/approach, and method: A quantitative survey was conducted through a purposive sampling technique to collect data from emergency physicians in hospitals in East Nusa Tenggara. There are 183 eligible respondents, whose responses were analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Main findings: The direct link to WE was found to be predominated by physician autonomy and public service motivation. It was found that WE positively and significantly connected to PC. The PLS-predict resulted in large cross-validated redundancy for this model. Practical/managerial implications: This study has implications for policymakers and hospital management in developing personal and job resources in optimising PC through WE. Contribution/value-add: This study will show a new approach where WE can estimate PC, and this model can be replicated and tested in a larger population of physicians.