The Relationship of Motivation Factors and Satisfaction of Kerman Province Health Volunteers in Unexpected Events

Health volunteers are an inseparable part of the health workforce in most developed countries. Many organizations are unable to provide their services appropriately particularly in case of accidents and unexpected crises without the attendance of these volunteers. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between motivational factors and satisfaction of health volunteers at the time of unexpected crisis. This descriptive-correlative study was conducted in 2011. The statistical population of the study consisted of all health volunteers of Kerman province, Iran, of whom 360 were selected using a random stratified sampling approach. The data gathering instruments were the Motivational Factors Questionnaire and the Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley questionnaire on satisfaction. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used for testing of hypotheses. Among the motivational factors, the purposeful (mean = 3.88) and financial factors (mean = 2.72) had the highest and the lowest averages, respectively. Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between all the motivational factors (occupational, financial, progress, purposive, commitment, social, and support) and satisfaction. The Purposeful and financial factors had the most (r = 0.6) and the least (r = 0.43) correlation with volunteer's satisfaction, respectively. Discussion and The result of this research shows that in order to recruit more volunteers in the health sector, it is necessary to place more emphasis on commitment and purposive motivational factors. It is hoped that the satisfaction and retention of volunteers be improved as a result of the improvement of each motivational factor.