Investigation of the Relationship Between Workload Perception and the Work-life Balance of Intensive Care Nurses Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Web-based Cross-sectional Study

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between workload perception and the work-life balance of intensive care nurses working during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional research was conducted with 325 intensive care nurses who were members of the Turkish Intensive Care Nurses Association. Data were collected via WhatsApp using Google Surveys for a Nurse Information form, the Individual Workload Perception scale, and the Work-Life Balance scale. Pearson's correlation and regression analyses were used for the data analysis in addition to descriptive statistics. Results: The total average score of the Personal Workload Scale of the intensive care nurses was 3.26 +/- 0.60 [minimum (min): 1.71; maximum (max): 4.87] and the total average score of the Worklife Balance scale was 2.79 +/- 0.710 (min: 1.3; max: 4.9). The Workload scale total average score significantly increased the Work-life Balance total average score (beta=0.658). Daily work time in the intensive care unit significantly decreased the work-life balance total average score (beta=-0.160). Conclusion: Intensive care nurses' workload perception and work-life balance were at a moderate level. Workload and long working hours deteriorate the work-life balance of intensive care nurses. Administrative and organizational regulations to enhance the work-life balance of the intensive care nurses by decreasing the workload can be effective in reaching the desired patient care results.