Assessment of quality of life of Iranian nurses

Abstract

Nurses’ Quality Of Life (QOL) may be affected by many different factors that can in turn influence their job competency. The aim of this study was to assess the QOL of Iranian nurses to provide evidence to enable policy makers to take the necessary steps needed to make improvements. Using a cross-sectional study design, we evaluated the QOL of Iranian nurses by the assessment of four health indicators: physical, psychological, social and environmental. A total of 850 nurses from 17 different provinces of Iran were recruited by random sampling. They were requested to complete the World Health Organization QOL-BREF questionnaire. Data were then analyzed. Results indicated that half of the nurses scored in the moderate range, suggesting that they had a reasonably good QOL. They scored considerably higher in terms of physical health indicators and achieved significantly lower scores regarding environmental health issues. Although the χ² test did not show any significant association between the QOL indicators and different factors such as work experience, gender, job position and patients group. We found a significant association between the subject’s position at work in the hospital shift pattern and their overall QOL score. The results of our study showed that more than half the nurses evaluated their QOL to be at a moderate level. The results from this study can be used by policy makers to help make improvements to nurses’ QOL that may enhance the quality of care they deliver to their patients. Future research including a group of nurses from over the whole country is essential so that a more representative cohort can be studied. It would also pave the way for the establishment of a QOL database for nurses in Iran that could monitor changes in the nursing population.