Preferences and barriers to periodic medical examinations among health workers in rural Ghana: a staff-reported survey

Despite the high awareness of periodic medical examinations among health workers, uptake is suboptimal due to lack of enforcement by regulators or insurance companies in Ghana. This study assessed preferred examination during periodic medical examinations among health workers and the predictors of participation in a rural Ghanaian hospital. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health workers at the SDA Hospital, Asamang, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Data collection was in November 2025 following written informed consent. Factors assessed included some socio-demographic characteristics, awareness, uptake, and barriers to periodic medical examination. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to identify independent predictors to participation of periodic medical examination. A total of I69 respondents were studied. The mean age was 33.5 years (SD = 6.8). Most respondents were female (63.3%) and relied on the national health insurance scheme (94.7%). Awareness of the periodic medical examination was 68.6%, with an uptake of 57.4%. The commonest reported reasons for next uptake were the chance of getting treatment (36.1%), and if the examination was compulsory (34.3%). The most preferred examinations were the kidney function test (32%), the mental health assessment (12.2%), and cervical cancer screening (11.2%). The most perceived barrier was the attitude of the attending health worker (50.3%). Fear of test outcomes was the most perceived personal barrier to participation (35.5%). The identified predictors to participation included the fear of the examination outcome, (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.40, 0.96], p = 0.031), cost of the examination (AOR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.37, 0.91], p = 0.017), and perception of waste of time (AOR = 0.61, 95% CI [0.40, 0.93], p = 0.021). Among health workers in our study setting, fear of examination outcome, cost of the examination, perceived waste of time, and service-providing staff attitude are significant predictors of participation in periodic medical examination. Institutions desiring to increase uptake of staff health preventive programs must focus on addressing these personal and institutional barriers.