A time-and-motion analysis of multipurpose healthcare workers from Kashmir

BACKGROUND: A multipurpose health worker (MPHW) is the pivotal functionary and the first point of contact in health care sector. This study explores the work-related activity of MPHWs in the different domains and also assesses their time utilization pattern. METHODS: A time and motion study was conducted among 12 multipurpose health care workers (MPHWs) from 10 different Subcenters of block Hazratbal. Participants self-reported their daily activities on a time measurement sheet for 6 days. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS v25.0. Calculations are based on a total of 544.5 person-hours of observation by ANMs. RESULTS: Time utilization pattern revealed that ANMs spent one-fourth of their time on maintaining registers. Observations on self-reporting were comparable with that of observations made by external observers. CONCLUSIONS: This study reflects the workload in different domains of MPHWs’ activities and nature of their work, relevance of their job responsibilities in the context to Indian public health standards for their job.