Abstract
The workplace influences the health, safety, and risk behaviour of employees. Therefore, it plays an important role in health promotion and the prevention of illness. Statistics indicate that 43% of deaths occurring in South Africa per year are as a result of chronic illnesses. As such, the workplace could play a vital role in managing and monitoring employees’ chronic illnesses by implementing a workplace health programme coordinated from an established occupational health service (OHS) that provides the necessary support to employees.
The University of Johannesburg provides such a service, having established an occupational health clinic on all four campuses. The clinic's purpose is to render services such as medical surveillance, primary health care and emergency management care to employees. The vision of occupational healthcare within the University of Johannesburg advocates for employee health, and its mission seeks to promote health. In keeping with its vision and mission, the clinic is accessible to all employees during working hours. It can be of assistance in the management and monitoring of the employees’ chronic illnesses. The promotion of health on campus assists in reducing the rate of sickness absenteeism/presenteeism, increases employee productivity and improves the overall health of the workforce.
During a recent medical surveillance program conducted at one of the University campuses, certain employees presented with chronic illnesses that were uncontrolled and poorly managed, resulting in increased sickness absenteeism. Many of the employees opted to utilise their own medical service providers (such as local clinics and private doctors) in the management of their chronic illnesses, impacting the productivity of the workforce as such employees would require time off to do so.
This study aimed to explore and describe the auxiliary employee’s perceptions of the occupational health clinic in the management of their chronic illnesses.
To gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon, a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design was used. The population was purposively sampled. Until data saturation was reached, individual face-to-face interviews were
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conducted on campus with participants who met the eligibility criteria. The data was analysed using Giorgi’s steps.
Guba and Lincoln’s framework of trustworthiness was utilised to fulfill trustworthiness measures. Ethical considerations such as informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, risks and benefits, and gatekeeper permissions will be adhered to.
The outcome of this study provided an understanding of the auxiliary employees’ perception of the employer-provided healthcare service. Based on the perceptions explored, recommendations were made to encourage the optimal utilisation of the service in the management of the auxiliary employee’s chronic conditions.
Key recommendations included the formulation of polices that include chronic illness management in the workplace and the dissemination of services offered by the employer provided healthcare service. Within the realm of nursing education, a recommendation to strengthen the nurse’s ability to manage chronic illnesses and develop nursing care plans to cater for our diverse population. Lastly, it was recommended that the research be conducted utlising a wider sample population, as this study was conducted on a small sample population.