Understanding Poor Healthcare Utilisation Among Healthcare Workers: Insights from Clinical and Non-clinical Staff in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Healthcare workers are central to delivering quality care, yet many struggle to attend to their own health due to heavy workloads, long hours, and a culture that normalizes self-treatment. This study examined healthcare-seeking patterns and determinants of service utilisation among clinical and non-clinical workers in tertiary hospitals in Ondo State, Nigeria, using a comparative mixed-methods cross-sectional design involving 460 participants. Quantitative data were collected through pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires, complemented by qualitative insights from Key Informant Interviews, with analysis conducted using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, logistic regression (p<0.05), and thematic analysis with NVIVO 14. Findings showed that clinical workers were generally younger and exhibited poorer health behaviours compared to non-clinical staff, with inappropriate health-seeking behaviour high in both groups but more pronounced among clinical workers (87.4% vs. 80%). Utilisation of available health services was similarly poor, slightly lower among non-clinical workers (83.9% vs. 82.2%). Predictors of better healthcare utilisation among clinical workers included being on regular medication, appropriate health-seeking behaviour, and having health insurance, while among non-clinical workers, ever consulting a doctor and good health-seeking behaviour significantly increased utilisation. Overall, despite perceiving themselves as healthy, both groups demonstrated poor health-seeking patterns and underutilisation of available services, highlighting the urgent need for policies and institutional strategies that promote preventive care, routine screening, and a healthier workplace culture for all healthcare workers.