TODENTJ-25-03-2019_TODENTJ-11-503 1553507096 Bentham Open doi@benthamopen.net Bentham Open The Open Dentistry Journal TODENTJ 1874-2106 09 22 2017 11 1 Christina Hassel Gustafsson Anna-Lena Östberg Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of employees regarding the merger of clinics within the Public Dental Service (PDS), Västra Götaland Region, Sweden. Methods: Employees (dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses) affected by both administrative and geographical mergers of dental clinics answered a web-based survey about experiences and effects of the merger process (n = 99, 47%). The Swedish short-form version of “The Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work” (QPSNordic), the QPSNordic-34+ was used. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression analyses were used. Results: Two thirds of the participants were aged ≥ 50 years. The respondents stated that the reasons for the merger were often made clear (78%). Satisfaction with and involvement in the merger process received lower scores (45%). Work was often perceived as stressful, irrespective of the merger. Job demands and engagement scored positively, but control at work was given a low score (one fifth stated fairly high or high control). Dentists (OR 5.9; 95%, CI 1.1-32.3), but not dental hygienists (OR 2.8; 95%, CI 0.9-9.0), indicated stress significantly more often than dental nurses (reference) (adjusted for age and gender). Conclusion: Employees in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in a Swedish region had mainly positive experiences after the merger of clinics; however, their involvement in the process was low. Work demands were perceived as high. These findings should be considered when planning mergers in dental organizations. 09 22 2017 503 511 TODENTJ-11-503 1 10.2174/crossmark_policy opendentistryjournal.com benthamopen.com true Peer Reviewed Single blind Checked with iThenticate 2017-04-21 2017-06-16 2017-08-12 2017-09-22 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode 10.2174/1874210601711010503 1553507096 https://opendentistryjournal.com/VOLUME/11/PAGE/503/ https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.pdf https://opendentistryjournal.com/contents/volumes/V11/TODENTJ-11-503/TODENTJ-11-503.xml Health Econ. 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