Ricerc@Sapienza

The word 'merger' has now become a widely used term in healthcare and is referred to hospitals, departments, services, complex structures and also Local Health Units (LHUs). The term immediately evokes the ideas of rationalization of expenditure and efficient use of resources. The merging processes of healthcare companies, documented in the literature, started in the 1990s in the United States and the United Kingdom. Other countries, such as those in Northern Europe, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada, are proceeding in the same direction, what has been defined as a mania for unification or 'merger mania'. The Italian scenario is not dissimilar from the other countries. A reduction of 42% of LHU 33% of Local Districts and 30% of Hospitals have been reported from 2007 to 2017.
As part of these changes in the work environment, it becomes necessary to implement an assessment of the perceived organizational climate and of the job satisfaction of the workers. As well known, a suitable organizational climate leads to innovation and inspiration in the organization and has a positive role in reaching organizational objectives. However, evidence on the impact of mergers on staff satisfaction is surprisingly scarce.
The aim of this study is to assess the opinions regarding the work condition of the 'merged health professionals' in the new context. For this purpose, we will carry out a survey to analyze the opinions concerning the organizational climate through the administration of a validated anonymous questionnaire. The survey will take place in Sardinia Region, where the reconfiguration process created a single originated from the eight LHUs previously existing. The questionnaire will be administered to the entire staff of LHU Sardinia (16000 workers) twice: at the beginning of the study (soon after the closing of the merging process) and ten months after the first administration, to compare any changes in the perceived level of organizational climate.