Causes of Absenteeism and Associated Mitigating Measures Among Health Work
Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES)DRRES-53
This Rapid Response should be cited as
ACRES (2021) Causes of Absenteeism and Associated Mitigating Measures Among Health Workers; A Rapid Response Brief. Kampala: The Center For Rapid Evidence Synthesis
Summary
Background: One of the District Health Teams in Uganda is struggling with chronic health workers absenteeism at health facilities. Absenteeism has affected service delivery and directly impacts the performance appraisal of the DHT. Findings: Absenteeism is a function of ability to attend and motivation to attend. Causes include ill health, institutional absence norms, low job satisfaction, poor leadership, burnout, dual employment, and lack of recognition. Interventions with positive impact include instituting policies and financial/non-financial incentives. Conclusion: To address absenteeism, the DHT should identify its causes and institute the appropriate measures with active participation of health workers.