Professional self-efficacy and motivation of pediatric hospital staff in the patient-centered medical care system

Relevance. The transition of the healthcare system to a patient-centered model, especially in pediatric practice, places increased demands on the psychological resources of medical staff. Studying the relationship between professional self-efficacy and the motivational structure of personnel in this context is of significant scientific and practical interest for improving the quality of medical care and preventing professional burnout.
Objective. To investigate the specifics of professional self-efficacy and the motivational structure among physicians and nurses of a pediatric hospital depending on work experience in the context of implementing a patient-centered approach.
Materials and methods. A pilot study involved 33 medical workers from pediatric hospitals in Yaroslavl: 17 physicians and 16 nurses. A set of psychodiagnostics methods was used: the "Self-Efficacy Test" (Maddux, Scheer modified by Boyarintseva), the "Motivational Structure Test" by F. Herzberg, and an author's questionnaire to assess the level of patient-centeredness. Statistical data processing was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test for group comparisons and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for relationship analysis (p < 0.05).
Results. Significant differences in motivational structure were identified: physicians were more oriented towards achievements (p = 0.02), while nurses were more oriented towards career growth (p = 0.004). For specialists with longer work experience, the importance of external recognition increased (p = 0.04). The level of professional self-efficacy did not depend on experience or position. Correlation analysis showed that with age, physicians attach greater importance to material rewards (r = 0.521) and relationships with management (r = 0.539), but the importance of job content decreases (r = –0.613). For nurses, motivation for career growth significantly increases with longer work experience (r = 0.779). Young professionals demonstrate higher confidence in interpersonal communication, which correlates with increased importance of financial factors (r = 0.527) and lower orientation towards teamwork (r = –0.476).
Conclusions. The study revealed a complex and differentiated structure of motivation and the role of self-efficacy among medical personnel in a pediatric hospital. The obtained data emphasize the need to develop differentiated personnel management programs that consider position, age, and experience characteristics to enhance intrinsic motivation, prevent burnout, and successfully implement a patient-centered approach in pediatric practice.

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