Evaluation of the quality of nursing work life and its association with job burnout in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Background and aims: Nurses are particularly susceptible to burnout. Nursing staffs are in face to a relatively stressful work environment, high mental and physical pressure, irregular scheduling or shifting, limited job promotion, and socio-emotional pressures in connection with the patients and partners. This study aimed to assess the quality of work life (QWL) and its association with "job burnout" of the nurses in an Iranian province. Methods: This is a descriptive-correlation survey which included 120 nurses of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2008. Data were collected using a questionnaire and subjects were selected by stratified random sampling from the hospitals related to Isfahan University of Medial Sciences. Results: According to the findings, dimension of quality of nursing working life was moderate. Nurses reported moderate levels of burnout in their workplaces. There was a significant relationship between job burnout subscale and quality of working life in all aspects. Conclusions: This study evaluated the QWL in some Iranian nurses using a valid instrument. Higher levels of quality of working life were associated with lower levels of burnout. These findings suggest that if quality of working life is effective. Then, nurses are likely to report lower levels of burnout.