Quality of Nursing Work Life among Nurses in Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Quality of working life (QWL) is a multidimensional concept that describes an employee’s satisfaction with several work life elements. Quality of nurse working life is considered as a stepping stone for health services improvement, as it affects job satisfaction which, in turn, affects the performance of nurses. Understanding and investigating the nurses’ quality of work life in Saudi Arabia is needed for improvement actions. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the quality of nursing work life (QNWL) among nurses working in Saudi Arabia and to determine the association between demographic variables and quality of work life among nurses. Methods: It was a cross-sectional design using Brooks’ quality of nursing work life survey. It was distributed among nurses over the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results: There were 860 nurses participating in the study. The mean total score for the participants was 174.5+/- 30.3, indicating moderate to high QNWL. The highest score achieved by the nurses was for the work world context (4.29) while the lowest score was for work design dimension (3.92). The study revealed that nationality, income, and shift duration, having a dependent person, and having family accompany the nurse as significant factors affecting the quality of work life among the nurses. Conclusion: A novel contribution of the current study was that the demographic characteristics of the participants, including nationality, income, having family accompany the nurse, having an independent child, or spouse or parents, and shift duration, tended to have a statistically significant correlation with QNWL. The comprehensive results of this study have practical implications whereby authority bodies can create regulatory plans for enhancing satisfaction and performance over the sole utilization of job satisfaction measurements and can thereby improve nurses’ retention and turnover rates.

Factor Affecting the Quality of Work Life Among Nurses: A Systematic Review

“…Shift duration can negatively impact nurses’ quality of work life, as shown by Al Mutair et al, 28 Silveira Teixeira et al, 24 and Wang et al 26 On the other hand, shift rotation has been identified as a factor that can improve nurses’ quality of work life, as noted by Alharbi et al 30 and Lebni et al 31 The study found a significant correlation between nurses’ quality of work life (QWL) and the type of hospital they work in. Nurses in tertiary, general, and teaching hospitals had poorer QWL 26 , 32 compared to those in specialty settings.…”

“… 5 Female nurses were found to have the lowest QWL satisfaction, 24 whereas 32 reported that male nurses had lower QWL compared to female nurses. This systematic literature review also identified additional factors that affect the quality of nurses’ work life, such as marital status, 30–32 nationality, 27 , 28 family, 22 , 28 working in different hospital, 33 having a non-nursing job, 33 and working full-time. 30 …”

“… 5 , 32 Higher incomes allow individuals to satisfy the needs of their families and enhance their quality of work life. 23 However, Al Mutair et al 28 presents interesting findings that suggest a negative relationship between salary and quality of life.…”

Exposure to secondary traumatic stress and its related factors among emergency nurses in Saudi Arabia: a mixed method study

“…It is crucial to ensure that the nurses’ welfare is supported to enhance their professional development, quality of work, and output levels. Emergency Department (ED) nurses, in particular, work in highly demanding environments [ 3 ], where the intensity of work and the level of effort and empathy required are significantly higher. In this unit, the nurses work with patients who are, in most instances, unable to execute their basic hygienic needs and duties [ 4 ].…”

Assessment of Exoskeletons on Nurses’ Quality of Work Life: A Pilot Study at Foch Hospital

“…The links between work life quality and care quality led National Health Authorities (such as the French Health Authority, HAS) to include work life quality (WLQ) as one of the dimensions to be considered in the certification of hospitals and to systematically integrate it into the quality assessment, as observed in other countries [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Based on the strong and close link between the well-being of patients and the well-being of caregivers, hospitals have implemented actions to improve the work life quality of their employees, which consequently contributes to improving the quality of patient care [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”