Abstract:
Radiography is one of the allied healthcare professions known to be stressful. It is
often associated with long working hours, ethical dilemmas, high patient demands and
frequent disruptions from ancillary departments, which are all known to result in
negative physical and psychosocial effects that may motivate migration. In this context,
migration means; leaving one health sector to seek employment in another (i.e. private
and public), resignation to join other professions or moving to a foreign country to
practise radiography. The aim of this study was to identify occupational-risk factors that
contribute to the migration of radiographers in order to provide input for mechanisms
that can be put in place to alleviate the negative physical and psychosocial effects
identified, thereby improving staff wellbeing and service delivery in KwaZulu-Natal. A
cross-sectional, quantitative study, using a questionnaire as the data collection
instrument was employed. The study targeted three categories of respondents:
radiographers who left the profession (n=19), those who emigrated (n=29) and those
who were employed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) (n=300). The results revealed that of the
348 participants, 221 (63 %) responded. The ages ranged from 19 to 60 (mean 39)
years. The common negative occupational risk factors found across the three categories
of radiographers included headaches, neck pain and spasms, lower back pain, knee pain
and painful feet. The negative psychosocial effects identified were; job dissatisfaction,
anxiety, stress, insomnia, depression and a sense of isolation. The study revealed that
the identified occupation-related risk factors resulted in negative physical and
psychosocial effects that could contribute to the migration of KZN radiographers. The introduction of employee assistance programmes and improved reporting systems are
recommended to reduce the negative impact of occupation-related factors on
radiographers and thereby improve staff wellbeing and reduce migration.
