Job Satisfaction in Primary Health Care in Athens, Greece: A Pilot Study

Background: A cross-sectional study was conducted in four Primary Health Care Centers of the 1st Regional Health Authority of Greece from January 2nd, 2020 to February 29th, 2020. A convenience sample of 200 healthcare workers was invited to participate. Objective or Aims: The purpose of the current study was to assess the levels of job satisfaction of primary healthcare professionals. The individual goal is to reveal the demographic and job characteristics that can possibly affect job satisfaction. Methodology: A cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire was conducted. The sample of the study consisted of healthcare professionals working in primary health care centers. Results: A total of 169 completed questionnaires was gathered (response rate 84.5%). The overall satisfaction score was 131, which implies medium level of satisfaction. Satisfaction level was high regarding the nature of the job, the supervision, the coworkers, and the communication. Regarding pay, promotions and fringe benefits, satisfaction level was low. According to the multivariate linear regression analysis, physicians compared to nurses and midwives reported higher overall satisfaction from their job (Coefficient beta = 7.4, 95%CI: 0.814.1, p = 0.03), from their colleagues (Coefficient beta = 1.9, 95%CI: 0.3-3.6, p = 0.02) and the operating procedures (Coefficient beta = 1.2, 95%Ci: 0.1-1.2, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Human resources are an important asset in a healthcare system and through a series of procedures, can affect the quality of the services provided. Dissatisfaction can result in healthcare professionals leaving their jobs or it can affect their performance.