Dimensions of hospital nurses’ quality of working life

AIM: This paper is a report of a study describing the quality of working life of nurses in Taiwan. The purpose of the study was to gather data on which to base a questionnaire to be used in further research. BACKGROUND: Nurses often complain of overwork and underpay. Problems persist with nurses' job satisfaction, stress, organizational commitment and intent to leave. 'Quality of working life' is a system of analysing how people experience work: it relates to job satisfaction, intent to leave, turnover rate, personality and work stress. However, reliable information on hospital nurses' quality of working life is limited. METHOD: A descriptive study was carried out with a convenience sample. A total of 16 focus groups in one medical centre and five regional hospitals informed a quality of working life framework. Each group had three to five participants who were Registered Nurses in medical or surgical wards with at least 2 years' nursing experience, and who held a position below assistant nurse manager. The data were collected in 2000. FINDINGS: A total of 56 nurses' quality of working life categories were identified and fitted into six dimensions: socio-economic relevance, demography, organizational aspects, work aspects, human relation aspects and self-actualization. In this paper, we focus on issues emphasized by focus group participants. These were managing shift work within the demands of family life; accommodation; support resources; and nurses' clinical ladder system and salary system. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed with other groups of nurses in a wider variety of settings in order to examine strengths and weaknesses in the total healthcare work environment and to develop appropriate strategies for nurses' quality of working life.