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Health care workers’ risk perceptions of personal and work activities and willingness to report for work during an influenza pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Dionne, Georges

    (HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management)

  • Desjardins, Denise

    (HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management)

  • Lebeau, Martin

    (HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management)

  • Messier, Stéphane

    (HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management)

  • Dascal, André

    (McGill University)

Abstract

The ability and willingness of health care workers to report for work during a pandemic are essential to pandemic response. The main contribution of this article is to examine the relationship between risk perception of personal and work activities and willingness to report for work during an influenza pandemic. Data were collected through a quantitative Web-based survey sent to health care workers on the island of Montreal. Respondents were asked about their perception of various risks to obtain index measures of risk perception.. A multinomial logit model was applied for the probability estimations, and a factor analysis was conducted to compute risk perception indexes (scores). Risk perception associated with personal and work activities is a significant predictor of intended presence at work during an influenza pandemic. The average predicted probability of being at work during the worst scenario of an influenza pandemic is 46% for all workers in the sample, 36% for those overestimating risk in personal and work activities (95% CI: 35%−37%), 53% for those underestimating risk in work activities (95% CI: 52%−54%), and 49% for those underestimating risk of personal activities (95% CI: 48%−50%). When given an opportunity to change their intentions, 45% of those who initially did not intend to report for work in the worst scenario would do so if the pandemic resulted in a severe manpower shortage. These results have not been previously reported in the literature. Many organizational variables are also significant.

Suggested Citation

  • Dionne, Georges & Desjardins, Denise & Lebeau, Martin & Messier, Stéphane & Dascal, André, 2014. "Health care workers’ risk perceptions of personal and work activities and willingness to report for work during an influenza pandemic," Working Papers 14-2, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:crcrmw:2014_002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Influenza pandemic; pandemic preparedness; risk perception; reporting for work; health policy; personal and work activities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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