Quality of Nursing Work Life

Background and Aim: Nurses suffer from the high demands of their profession, and often complain of overwork and underpay. Problems persist with the nurses' job satisfaction, burnout, organizational commitment and intent to leave. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses in an Iranian state rate the quality of their work life. Material and Methods: This descriptive survey study was performed at the ISFAHAN Hospitals, IR, during the year 2007. The research instrument used was the Brooks and Anderson scale. A sample of 120 registered nurses (RNs) was enrolled into the study, using a simple random sample method. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 11.5. Descriptive statistics, item summary statistics, and total scale and subscale scores were computed. Result: Eighty two percent nurses who were included in this study believed that their workload was heavy, salaries were inadequate (95%), nurses were dissatisfied (63%), skill mix was found to be inadequate (72%) and a majority of nurses were unable to complete their work in the time available (54%). 79% nurses indicated that they did not have the autonomy to make patient care decisions. Respondents had little energy left after work (80%), were unable to balance their work and family lives (76%) and stated that rotating schedules negatively affected their lives (69%). Few nurses felt respected by the upper management (35%) and were able to participate in decisions (29%). Many of the nurses felt that society does not have an accurate image of nurses (62%) and indicated that their work settings did not provide career advancement (62%). Discussion and Conclusion: Nurses' job satisfaction, salary, workload, staffing issues, skill mix, communication, autonomy, recognition and empowerment remain problematic. These findings provide information for policy makers and nursing managers on areas that need to be addressed, to retain nurses within community nursing and for important implications for nurse education administrators. Also needed isoutcome-driven research examining the effectiveness, efficacy, and cost-benefit of specific strategies aimed at improving the QNWL and organizational productivity.