Human Resources and Professional Quality of Life Among Hospital Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A quantitative descriptive design was employed to assess the pandemic's impact on nurse human resources and the hospital nurses’ professional quality of life by using the hospital nursing human resource questionnaire and Work-related Quality of Life Scale-1. Hospital nurses, totaling 384, were exclusively recruited from tertiary hospitals within the region. The majority were female nurses aged 31-40, with the professional title of intermediate-level with a bachelor's degree qualification. They possess extensive professional experience, with most having accumulated over six years of service across various specialized departments within the hospital. The findings revealed that the shortage of nursing staff remained severe, particularly among senior titles and experienced nurses, and the resignation rate among nurses was not significantly affected. The majority of nurses hold a bachelor's degree, which is advantageous for the healthcare system. However, a relatively high proportion of middle and junior-level titles and junior nurses indicated challenges faced by regional nurse teams and posed difficulties for the healthcare system. Regarding the professional quality of life, the results showed no significant difference between the variables being compared when grouped according to the demographic profiles except working hospitals. Consequently, hospital administrators and healthcare system policymakers may look closely and implement strategies to increase the number of nurses, particularly those with senior professional titles, while enhancing hospital leadership and the hospital nurses’ professional quality of life. A Proposed Enhancement Program for the Professional Quality of Life for Nurses was drafted from the results of the study.