Page 92 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Attitude of health-care workers toward hospital patients

nurses, were largely limited and hindered from discharging payment of salaries, hazard allowance, and government
their duties of saving lives by a lack of infrastructural recognition of the effort of the health-care workers would
facilities, equipment, incentives, allowances, unpaid to a great extent foster a positive attitude among health-
salaries, etc. In addition, Abene et al. (2021) opined that a care workers toward hospital patients during pandemics.
lack of knowledge of the dynamics and nature of the novel In agreement with the above findings, previous studies
coronavirus contributed largely to the negative attitude of have reported that sensitization of healthcare workers,
health-care workers toward patients during the COVID-19 incentives, payment of salaries as and when due, and
pandemic in Nigeria. Furthermore, Olateju et al. (2022) hazard allowances will motivate and foster a positive
identified some challenges that undermined the positive attitude among healthcare workers toward their patients.
disposition of health-care workers toward hospital patients For example, Eme et al. (2014) emphasized in their study
during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The challenges that the provision of adequate hospital equipment will, in
include: delayed access to care and lack of transportation; no small measure, put Nigerian healthcare workers in the
public misconceptions about COVID-19; exhaustion right position to meet patients’ needs effectively.
due to an increased workload; and stigmatization of The following solutions were proposed to address
COVID-19 patients.
the negative attitude of community members/patients
Furthermore, the attitude of community members/ toward hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic: the
patients toward hospital treatment during the COVID-19 government should rebuild trust by providing adequate
pandemic in Nigeria was very poor. Some sick community hospital equipment, conduct mass education and public
members would rather remain at home, risking their lives, awareness campaigns through traditional media and
than go to the hospital. Fright and fear of contracting social media about the dangers of self-medication and
coronavirus from hospitals informed the negative unorthodox medicine lacking proper dosages, and retrain
attitude of community members/patients toward hospital health-care workers on essential relationship strategies
treatment. During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, with patients. Implementing these measures is expected to
many community members and patients resorted to restore the confidence of community members/patients in
self-medication, self-help, and unorthodox or herbal hospital care in Nigeria. A significant issue highlighted is
treatment instead of visiting hospitals for proper diagnosis the mistrust of hospital care during the first and second
and treatment. Nigerian hospital patients or community waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, leading
members did not trust the doctors and nurses to treat them many to turn to unorthodox medication (alternative
for any kind of illness during the pandemic because of medicine); some studies in the past have investigated the
their lack of adequate PPE, fearing that nurses and doctors dangers of alternative medicine to patients’ wellbeing. For
could potentially infect them. Even pregnant women who example, Okoronkwo et al. (2014) investigated the adverse
have regular antenatal checkups avoid the hospitals like effects of alternative medicine use, and they discovered
one avoids the plague. that alternative medicine has the following adverse effects:

Studies in the past have investigated patients’ attitudes general body discomfort, upset stomach, diarrhea, increase
and levels of satisfaction toward medical care in Nigeria in body weight, dizziness, and weakness.
and healthcare workers. A significant number of these Social workers, while sensitizing health-care workers
studies have uncovered low levels of satisfaction and on the pertinence of having a positive disposition toward
mistrust among patients toward the Nigerian health-care the patient during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria,
system and health workers in particular. For example, a went further to advocate for their general well-being, such
study by Obi et al. (2018) investigated patients’ satisfaction as payment of salary as and when due, hazard allowances,
with services at a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria. The and incentives. On the other hand, social workers ensured
study revealed that less than half (47.3%) of the patients that patients received adequate medical care amidst the
were satisfied with the care received at the hospital and the COVID-19 pandemic by educating them on their rights
behavior of the healthcare workers. On the other hand, to adequate care and also taking their displeasure and
52.7% of the patients were not satisfied with the attitude of concerns to the appropriate medical authorities. Medical
the healthcare worker or the hospital environment. social workers dissuaded patients from self-medication
Having ascertained that the attitude of healthcare and alternative medicine, which have adverse effects
workers toward hospital patients at the peak of the COVID- on healthcare. The Nigerian medical social worker’s
19 pandemic in Nigeria was negative and suboptimal, intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic collaborated
the study further uncovered that special education for with the major functions of social workers during the
health-care workers (retraining), provision of equipment, COVID-19 pandemic as inscribed by the International

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2743