Relationship between the Quality of Work Life and Demographic Characteristics of Nurses Working in Educational Hospitals in Mashhad, Iran

The quality of work life means the employee's mental perception and satisfaction of the physical and psychological desirability of his work environment and the extent to which his needs are met through resources, activities, and results obtained from involvement and participation in the workplace. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the quality of work life and demographic variables of nurses working in teaching hospitals in Mashhad, Iran.

This descriptive-analytical study was performed in teaching hospitals in Mashhad (i.e., Imam Reza and Ghaem), 2014. The samples were selected using the purposive sampling method and the instruments used to collect the required data included a demographic information questionnaire and a quality of work life questionnaire based on the Walton model. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 16). The p-values ​​less than 0.05 were considered significant.

In this study, 76% and 24%of the subjects were female and male, respectively. The mean age of the subjects was obtained at 35.2±5.4. The results showed that most nurses expressed their quality of work life as moderate (50.5±2.2). Moreover, the quality of work life had no significant relationship with gender (P>0.05); however, it showed a significant inverse relationship with age and work experience (r =-0.11 and r=-0.08; P<0.05).

According to the results of the present study, the nurses' quality of work life was related to age and work experience variables. On the other hand, considering since human resources are the most important elements of any organization, it is necessary to evaluate the quality of work life of employees to be able to determine the relevant factors and improve them, which will lead to the use of the potential capabilities of employees to provide better services to patients and community.