Sonographer wellbeing in Australia: Perceptions of job demands and resources in clinical working environments

Sonographer wellbeing in Australia: Perceptions of job demands and resources in clinical working environments

Reviewer: Emma Jardine | ASA SIG: Health and Wellbeing

Authors: Hall C, Pignata S, Tie M, Bezak E, Childs J

Why the study was performed

The study was performed to assess the workplace demands Australian sonographers are experiencing and to identify what resources are available for sonographers. The aim was to highlight which resources sonographers perceive to be the most effective in improving wellbeing in the workplace.

How the study was performed

A cross-sectional online survey of 69 Australian medical sonographers who were registered with the ASAR and worked a minimum of two clinical shifts per week were recruited for the study. The survey contained quantitative (demographic) and open-text questions related to workplace wellbeing.

SPSS Statistics Software was used to investigate any statistically significant data trends between the level of job satisfaction and independent variables (clinical environment, years of experience, subspeciality in ultrasound, age gender, role title, state in Australia, number of shifts per week and hours per week).

What the study found

• The largest number of participants were from the private sector (n = 39, 56.5%), 23 were from public hospitals and the remaining 7 participants were from private hospitals, specialists’ clinics and academic environments.

• The majority of participants were female (73.9%) and were clinical sonographers (78.3%).

• Fifty-eight per cent of participants had over 16 years of experience and the results suggested that with increased years of clinical experience, there were increased levels of job satisfaction. Overall, 39.1% of participants were moderately satisfied, 24.6% were very satisfied and 11.6% were moderately dissatisfied in their current role.

• Unrealistic workloads, time pressures and inadequate scheduled breaks were universally reported by both private and public participants.

• The second most demanding factor for public hospital participants was unnecessary scans and scan extensions. This compares to private practices that reported incentivised workloads as the second most demanding factor.

• Participants reported inadequate remuneration and lack of role progression and professional development as factors that influenced their workplace demands.

• It was noted that patient-related factors that increased workplace demands included delivering unexpected findings, patients’ expectations of receiving immediate scan results and dealing with patient stress.

• Participants, in both private and public, noted workplace resources such as psychological support (employee assistance programs, employer support), injury prevention (workplace health and safety, physical therapy), workload reduction (scheduled breaks, workload reduction) and individual support (self-driven strategies) were resources available to them.

• Thirty per cent of private practice participants and 36% of public hospital participants identified psychological support as a workplace resource. Employer support strategies such as acknowledging hard work, financial rewards and regular team meetings were perceived to be effective resources.

• Forty-seven per cent of public hospital participants suggested that injury prevention, such as physical therapy and workplace health and safety, was an effective workplace resource. Physical resources to improve workplace wellbeing were less available to private practice participants, where 22.5% mentioned injury prevention and 15% mentioned workload reduction strategies.

• It was concerning to note that 42.5% of private practice sonographers reported no wellbeing resources were offered in their workplace.

• Reducing the repetitive nature of certain examinations and producing stretching videos were identified as beneficial resources to reduce injury rates and improve wellbeing.

Relevance to clinical practice

Workplace demands such as unrealistic workloads, time pressures, and the inadequate number of scheduled breaks were identified as the most frequent workplace stress by participants. When sonographers work under these pressures, patient care can be affected.

In 2023, Commonwealth health and safety laws came into effect in Australia stating, ‘employers must identify and manage hazards and risks to workers’ psychological health and safety’. Reduction in workload is perceived to be the most effective resource by participants to improve workplace wellbeing. Employers can ensure sonographer workplace wellness by implementing reasonable time frames per scan, capping the number of scans performed and ensuring a set number of breaks are taken per shift.

New Commonwealth health and safety laws (2023) state ‘employers must identify and manage hazards and risks to workers’ psychological health and safety’. This study found that employers can ensure sonographer workplace wellness by implementing reasonable time frames per scan, capping the number of scans performed and ensuring a set number of breaks are taken per shift