Quality of Work Life and Its Related Factors: A Survey of Critical Care Nurses in Kashan, Iran, 2014

Background: Improving quality of work life (QWL) is a comprehensive process and is essential to attracting and retaining employees, especially in health care. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to determine quality of nursing work life and its related factors in intensive care units in Kashan city hospitals in 2014. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 157 critical care nurses from September to November, 2014 in all educational hospitals of Kashan, Iran that had critical care units. A three part questionnaire was used in this study: demographic and professional characteristics, quality of nursing work life (QNWL), and the national aeronautics and space administration task load index (NASA-TLX). Data were analyzed using the t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the chi square and Fisher’s exact test with SPSS software, version 16. Results: The majority of the participants (N = 112) were female (83.3%), and the mean age of the subjects was 33 ± 6.98 years. Age, education, job position, job location, and a second nursing job in another hospital were found to predict QNWL. Among the six subscales of NASA-TLX, frustration and mental demand had the lowest and highest rating score, respectively. Temporal demand, frustration, and effort levels were significantly correlated with QNWL. Conclusions: It is necessary to pay more attention to the QNWL and its related factors, especially nursing workload, to improve quality of care as an organization goal.