Publication:

Staff motivation and associated factors in a health district hospital in Benin

Background The aim of this study was to find out about staff motivational related factors at Ouidah’s district hospital in southern Benin.

Methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study involving 108 agents randomly selected with proportional allocation by department. Motivation was measured, as were the intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with it, using a questionnaire based on a Likert scale. Factors associated with motivation were investigated using the following tests: t-student, ANOVA, post hoc, and logistic regression.

Results The median age of those surveyed was 39 (33.50; 47.50) years, predominantly female (58.30%). Of the staff surveyed, 30.6% had an insufficient level of general motivation. Women were much more motivated by "collaboration" than men (p=0.004). The "achievement" factor was more motivating for staff with university-level education than for those with primary-level education (p=0.001). Those aged between 35 and 50 were less motivated than those under 35 [OR=0.19; 95% CI (0.04; 0.88)]. The opportunity to develop skills at work (p=0.018) and participation in decision-making (p=0.019) were associated with the general level of staff motivation. Reasons for demotivation were dominated by insufficient work materials (24.24%).

Conclusions Staff motivation can be improved through interventions that take into account identified factors.