ArticleBMC health services research2016
Working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers: a critical incident analysis.
Article in BMC health services research, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors that influence the provision of intrapartum and postnatal care by skilled birth attendants in low- and middle-income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Healthcare conflict management in resource-constrained settings: evidence from two hospitals in Ghana.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Exploring barriers and facilitators of preceptorship in undergraduate health professions education: insights from a qualitative needs assessment among preceptors in Eastern Uganda.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Unlocking the path to quality maternity care: a qualitative study on work environment dynamics, providers' responsiveness, and professionalism in central region, Malawi.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- The impact of the nurse practice environment, workload, and professional support on job outcomes and standards of care at primary health care clinics in South Africa: A structural equation model approach.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2024Article
- Unfair labour practice on staff in primary health care facilities, North West province, South Africa: A qualitative study.Curationis · 2022Article
- A scoping review of the impact of organisational factors on providers and related interventions in LMICs: Implications for respectful maternity care.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Perceptions and predictors of organizational justice among healthcare professionals in academic hospitals in South-Eastern Nigeria.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Factors influencing motivation of nurse leaders in a private hospital group in Gauteng, South Africa: A quantitative study.Curationis · 2020Article
- Perceptions of midwives on shortage and retention of staff at a public hospital in Tshwane District.Curationis · 2019Article
- Relationships of Nurses with Midwives in Their Working Area and Associated Factors at Jimma Medical Center, Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia.SAGE open nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMalawi continues to experience critical shortages of key health technical cadres that can adequately respond to Malawi's disease burden. Difficult working conditions contribute to low morale and frustration among health care workers. We aimed to understand how obstetric care staff perceive their working relationships with managers.
methodsA qualitative exploratory study was conducted in health facilities in Malawi between October and December 2008. Critical Incident Analysis interviews were done in government district hospitals, faith-based health facilities, and a sample of health centres' providing emergency obstetric care. A total of 84 service providers were interviewed. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8 software.
resultsPoor leadership styles affected working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers. Main concerns were managers' lack of support for staff welfare and staff performance, lack of mentorship for new staff and junior colleagues, as well as inadequate supportive supervision. All this led to frustrations, diminished motivation, lack of interest in their job and withdrawal from work, including staff seriously considering leaving their post.
conclusionsPositive working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers are essential for promoting staff motivation and positive work performance. However, this study revealed that staff were demotivated and undermined by transactional leadership styles and behavior, evidenced by management by exception and lack of feedback or recognition. A shift to transformational leadership in nurse-manager relationships is essential to establish good working relationships with staff. Improved providers' job satisfaction and staff retentionare crucial to the provision of high quality care and will also ensure efficiency in health care delivery in Malawi.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.