title: Healthcare professionals' perspective of support from public health department: a study in the primary health centers of Tamil Nadu.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perceived organizational support (POS) measures the employee perception of support from the organization and helps to understand the employer-employee relationship better. The aim of the study is to understand the healthcare professionals' perception of support from public health department and to examine thehealthcare professionals' difference in perception of support across various demographics variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey is conducted among healthcare professionals including medical officers and staff nurses working in primary health centres (PHC) in the state of Tamilnadu. In the study, public health department refers to the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H test are used to assess the difference in POS across demographic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the study indicated that the healthcare professionals perceive a moderate levelof support from public health department. The healthcare professionals' POS is found to differ across their age, role and total work experience but not across gender and work experience in the current PHC. Further, the POS of healthcare professionals is found to differ with respect to PHC location and does not differ with respect to PHC type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results emphasize the need to enhance POS of healthcare professionals. The health policy makers and mangers have to consider the difference in POS of healthcare professionals and make amendments in the human resource policies related to selection and training.
authors.affiliation: VIT Business School, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Sumathi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thenmozhi
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kamalanabhan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012737:Sex Factors