Public Health Care Delivery in Jamaica

Public health care workers are particularly vulnerable to high levels of workplace violence and stress imbedded in volatile communities and work environments.These factors can impact negatively on the health status of these individuals and on health care delivery in general.The incidence of violence against community public health care workers in Jamaica or in developing countries has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of societal violence on the delivery of public health care, by looking at the impact/effects on public health workers at six health centres. The study specifically examined the prevalence, types, nature and effects of violence; identified causes, signs and sources of stress, coping skills and general responses and attitudes to violence amongst health care workers who delivered health care to clients. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a high prevalence of violence against healthcare workers in the form of verbal abuse, which contributes significantly to their source of stress at work. Interventions are needed to reduce stress in the work environment of health care workers, so as to make health-care delivery more effective.