title: Motivation and job satisfaction of health surveillance assistants in Mwanza, Malawi: an explorative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Improving community health worker's performance is vital for an effective health system in developing countries. In Malawi, hardly any research has been done on factors that motivate this cadre. This qualitative assessment was undertaken to identify factors that influence motivation and job satisfaction of health surveillance assistants (HSAs) in Mwanza district, Malawi, in order to inform development of strategies to influence staff motivation for better performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven key informant interviews, six focus group discussions with HSAs and one group discussion with HSAs supervisors were conducted in 2009. The focus was on HSAs motivation and job performance. Data were supplemented with results from a district wide survey involving 410 households, which included views of the community on HSAs performance. Qualitative data were analysed with a coding framework, and quantitative data with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main satisfiers identified were team spirit and coordination, the type of work to be performed by an HSA and the fact that an HSA works in the local environment. Dissatisfiers that were found were low salary and position, poor access to training, heavy workload and extensive job description, low recognition, lack of supervision, communication and transport. Managers and had a negative opinion of HSA perfomance, the community was much more positive: 72.9% of all respondents had a positive view on the performance of their HSA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activities associated with worker appreciation, such as performance management were not optimally implemented. The district level can launch different measures to improve HSAs motivation, including human resource management and other measures relating to coordination of and support to the work of HSAs.
authors.affiliation: Mwanza District Hospital, Mwanza, Malawi, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Muula
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002322:Career Mobility; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D013315:Stress, Psychological