Workplace bullying among medical laboratory professionals in Ghana: insights from self-reported experiences, challenges to mitigation structures, and coping strategies.

Abstract

Background: Workplace bullying is a major concern in Ghana's healthcare sector, often arising from power imbalances and an excessive emphasis on achieving results at the cost of employee well-being. While bullying among healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses is well-documented, little is known about its prevalence among medical laboratory professionals, who play a vital role in patient care. We assessed bullying in this group to inform strategies for mitigation.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 378 medical laboratory professionals. The survey included demographic information, workplace characteristics, the Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R), and questions about bullying perpetrators, mental health breaks, and anti-bullying policies. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistic regression. Results were reported as frequencies, percentages, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: 44% of the medical laboratory professionals reported experiencing bullying; 29% faced frequent bullying, while 71% encountered it occasionally. Common issues included ignored opinions, unmanageable workloads, gossip, and exclusion. Non-clinical administrative managers were the most frequent perpetrators. Diploma and bachelor's degree holders had higher odds of being bullied compared to master's degree holders (AOR = 6.13, p = 0.013; AOR = 2.56, p = 0.007). Rural professionals had higher odds than urban counterparts (AOR = 2.23, p = 0.007).

Conclusion: The high prevalence of workplace bullying among medical laboratory professionals highlights the need for effective policies to enhance workplace conditions and patient care.