The Relationship Between Critical Care Work Environment and Professional Quality of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa Monroe ◽  
Elizabeth Morse ◽  
Joseph M. Price

Background Professional quality of life is the quality a person feels in relation to work. For critical care nurses, it is composed of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Professional quality of life is affected by work environment. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has identified 6 standards for a healthy work environment. Objective To explore which of the AACN healthy work environment standards have the strongest impact on professional quality of life in critical care nurses. Methods In an exploratory, cross-sectional survey of nurses working in 4 adult critical care units of a single health care facility, professional quality of life was assessed using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and work environment was evaluated using the AACN Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool. Results Participants reported compassion satisfaction and burnout levels as average and secondary traumatic stress levels as high. The composite average for all 6 AACN healthy work environment standards was good. A multiple regression analysis revealed true collaboration, effective decision-making, and authentic leadership as significant predictors of compassion satisfaction. Authentic leadership was the only predictor of burnout. Appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, and authentic leadership were predictors of secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion Authentic leadership is the strongest predictor of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Therefore, improving leadership should be a priority in intensive care units seeking to improve nurses’ professional quality of life.

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara L. Sacco ◽  
Susan M. Ciurzynski ◽  
Megan Elizabeth Harvey ◽  
Gail L. Ingersoll

BACKGROUNDAlthough critical care nurses gain satisfaction from providing compassionate care to patients and patients’ families, the nurses are also at risk for fatigue. The balance between satisfaction and fatigue is considered professional quality of life.OBJECTIVESTo establish the prevalence of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in adult, pediatric, and neonatal critical care nurses and to describe potential contributing demographic, unit, and organizational characteristics.METHODSIn a cross-sectional design, nurses were surveyed by using a demographic questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life Scale to measure levels of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction.RESULTSNurses (n = 221) reported significant differences in compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue on the basis of sex, age, educational level, unit, acuity, change in nursing management, and major systems change.CONCLUSIONSUnderstanding the elements of professional quality of life can have a positive effect on work environment. The relationship between professional quality of life and the standards for a healthy work environment requires further investigation. Once this relationship is fully understood, interventions to improve this balance can be developed and tested.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedigheh Salimi ◽  
Vahid Pakpour ◽  
Azad Rahmani ◽  
Marian Wilson ◽  
Hossein Feizollahzadeh

Introduction: This study investigated the relationship between compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among Iranian nurses working in critical care units. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey using the Professional Quality of Life instrument was administered to 400 nurses working in the intensive care units of Iranian hospitals. Results: High risk levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress existed among 42% and 96% of participants, respectively. Significant positive relationships were detected between burnout and secondary traumatic stress. An inverse relationship was detected between measures of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Discussion: To ensure culturally congruent care, it is important to evaluate professional quality of life within the context of specific cultures and societies. Iranian critical care nurses are at risk for burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Personal self-care and organizational wellness approaches that consider cultural norms should be designed to boost compassion satisfaction and reduce negative effects of stressful work environments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesly Kelly ◽  
Michael Todd

Background:Burnout is a concern for critical care nurses in high-intensity environments. Studies have highlighted the importance of a healthy work environment in promoting optimal nurse and patient outcomes, but research examining the relationship between a healthy work environment and burnout is limited.Objective:To examine how healthy work environment components relate to compassion fatigue (eg, burnout, secondary trauma) and compassion satisfaction.Methods:Nurses (n = 105) in 3 intensive care units at an academic medical center completed a survey including the Professional Quality of Life and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ Healthy Work Environment standards.Results:Regression models using each Healthy Work Environment component to predict each outcome, adjusting for background variables, showed that the 5 Healthy Work Environment components predicted burnout and that meaningful recognition and authentic leadership predicted compassion satisfaction.Conclusions:Findings on associations between healthy work environment standards and burnout suggest the potential importance of implementing the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ Healthy Work Environment standards as a mechanism for decreasing burnout.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-304
Author(s):  
Julie Highfield ◽  
Jack Parry-Jones

Background Critical care is widely perceived, both within and outside of the speciality, as unremitting and emotionally burdensome. There is a perception of a higher risk to medical staff of burnout than other specialities. Critical care also has considerable emotional and professional rewards. We sought to examine this balance between emotional reward and stress in UK critical care consultants registered with the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine. Method We conducted a Wellbeing survey of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine consultant membership utilising the Professional Quality of Life (Pro-QOL) survey tool. The survey was conducted as part of the Annual Workforce Census. Results In sum, 799 members completed the Pro-QOL survey, making this one of the largest surveys of physician wellbeing in critical care medicine. Data were analysed in accordance with the Pro-QOL manual. Conclusions The results demonstrate moderate risk for burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but this is balanced by moderate compassion satisfaction. No association was demonstrated between age, sex, or size of critical care unit worked in. Further follow-up of this consultant group is warranted to better understand risk factors for burnout and for future mitigation of these risk factors whilst also enhancing the positive aspects of working as a consultant in critical care medicine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 94 (1107) ◽  
pp. 43-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Scott McCain ◽  
Nicola McKinley ◽  
Martin Dempster ◽  
W Jeffrey Campbell ◽  
Stephen J Kirk

Purpose of the studyThe aim of this study was to measure resilience, coping and professional quality of life in doctors.Study designA cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire in a single National Health Service trust, including both primary and secondary care doctors.Results283 doctors were included. Mean resilience was 68.9, higher than population norms. 100 (37%) doctors had high burnout, 194 (72%) doctors had high secondary traumatic stress and 64 (24%) had low compassion satisfaction. Burnout was positively associated with low resilience, low compassion satisfaction, high secondary traumatic stress and more frequent use of maladaptive coping mechanisms, including self-blame, behavioural disengagement and substance use. Non-clinical issues in the workplace were the main factor perceived to cause low resilience in doctors.ConclusionsDespite high levels of resilience, doctors had high levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Doctors suffering from burnout were more likely to use maladaptive coping mechanisms. As doctors already have high resilience, improving personal resilience further may not offer much benefit to professional quality of life. A national study of professional Quality of Life, Coping And REsilience, which we are proposing to undertake, will for the first time assess the UK and Ireland medical workforce in this regard and guide future targeted interventions to improve professional quality of life.


Author(s):  
Guojun Xie ◽  
Wendy Li ◽  
Brett McDermott

Objective Building upon the tripartite model of anxiety and depression, the current study aims to examine mechanisms of comorbidity between anxiety and depression using the ProQOL (Professional Quality of Life; including the constructs of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction) in a sample of Chinese health-care clinicians. Method A randomized cross-sectional survey was distributed to 1620 participants who were recruited from eight state-owned hospitals in a city in southern China between January and May 2017. A total of 1562 questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 96.4%). After the cases with more than 10% missing variables and multivariate outliers being removed, 1423 valid cases remained. Multiple mediator models were used for mediation analysis that was conducted using the PROCESS v3.1 macro for SPSS. Results The indirect effects of anxiety upon depression through burnout (a1 = . 601 (95% confidence interval (CI): .552, .650), p < .001; b1 = .137 (95% CI: .101, .174), p < .001) and compassion satisfaction (a3= −.297 (95% CI: −.352, −.241), p < .001; b3 = −.069 (95% CI: −.100, −.039), p < .001) were significant, while there was no evidence that anxiety influenced depression by changing secondary traumatic stress. The indirect effects of depression upon anxiety through secondary traumatic stress (a2 = . 535 (95% CI: .483, .588), p < .001); b2 = .154 (95% CI: .120, .188), p < .001) were both positive and significant, while there was no evidence that depression influenced anxiety by changing burnout and compassion satisfaction. Conclusions In the current sample, burnout and compassion satisfaction mediated the effect of anxiety upon depression and secondary traumatic stress mediated the effect of depression upon anxiety. The findings of the current study offer support to the tripartite model.


2021 ◽  
pp. 102490792110491
Author(s):  
Cho Lee Wong ◽  
Bun Young ◽  
Berachah Sze Chung Lui ◽  
Alice Wai Yi Leung ◽  
Jerome Lok Tsun So

Background: The professional quality of life of healthcare professionals in emergency departments may be compromised during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study aims to examine professional quality of life and resilience as well as their relationships among emergency department healthcare professionals in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design. Healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses) working in emergency departments in Hong Kong were recruited via snowball sampling. The Professional Quality of Life Scale, version 5, and the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used to assess their positive (compassion satisfaction) and negative (secondary traumatic stress and burnout) aspects of professional quality of life and self-reported resilience. Socio-demographics and work-related characteristics were also analysed. Results: A total of 106 participants provided valid responses. The results showed an overall moderate level of compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress and burnout among emergency department healthcare professionals. The mean score of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was 23.8. Backward linear regression analyses revealed self-reported resilience was the only significant predictor of compassion satisfaction (regression coefficient B = 0.875; p < 0.001), secondary traumatic stress (B = −0.294, p < 0.001) and burnout (B = −0.670; p < 0.001), explaining 70.6%, 18.5% and 59.8% of total variance, respectively. Conclusion: Emergency department healthcare professionals in Hong Kong experienced an overall moderate level of professional quality of life during the COVID-19 outbreak. Those with a higher level of self-reported resilience had better compassion satisfaction and lower levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout. The results support the importance of developing interventions that foster resilience among this group of emergency department healthcare professionals to combat COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-323
Author(s):  
Natalia Violim Fabri ◽  
Julia Trevisans Martins ◽  
Maria Jose Quina Galdino ◽  
Renata Perfeito Ribeiro ◽  
Aline Aparecida Oliveira Moreira ◽  
...  

Objetivo: Verificar la satisfacción y la fatiga debido a la compasión y sus factores asociados en las enfermeras de la Unidad Básica de Salud.Método: Se trata de una investigación descriptiva y transversal desarrollada con 101 enfermeras de 40 Unidades Básicas de Salud en un municipio de Paraná. Los datos se recopilaron entre noviembre de 2019 y febrero de 2020 a través de un cuestionario de caracterización sociodemográfica, hábitos profesionales y de vida y la Professional Quality of Life Scale que evalúa la Satisfacción y fatiga por compasión. Los factores asociados fueron obtenidos por modelos de regresión logística.Resultados: Tener una buena relación interpersonal disminuyó las posibilidades de baja satisfacción por compasión (p=0,025) y burnout (p=0,049). Ser reconocido en el trabajo tenía una probabilidad significativamente menor de baja satisfacción por compasión (p=0,040).Conclusión: Buenas relaciones interpersonales se asociaron con la satisfacción de la compasión y el burnout. Sentirse reconocido por el trabajo realizado también se asoció con la satisfacción por la compasión. La mayoría de las enfermeras, incluso con altos niveles de satisfacción debido a la compasión, se siente cansada, lo que lleva a reforzar la necesidad de una mayor atención al trabajo desarrollado por las enfermeras en la Unidad Básica de Salud por los gerentes. Objective: Verifying satisfaction and fatigue due to compassion and its associated factors in nurses of the Basic Health Unit.Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional research developed with 101 nurses from 40 Basic Health Units in a municipality of Parana. Data were collected between November 2019 and February 2020 through a questionnaire of sociodemographic characterization, occupational and life habits and the Professional Quality of Life Scale that assesses Satisfaction and Fatigue by Compassion. The associated factors were obtained by logistic regression models.Results: Having a good interpersonal relationship decreased the chances of low satisfaction by compassion (p=0.025) and burnout (p=0.049). Being recognized at work had a significantly lower probability of low compassion satisfaction (p=0.040).Conclusion: Good interpersonal relationships were associated with compassion satisfaction and burnout. Feeling recognized for the work done was also associated with satisfaction for compassion. Most nurses, even with high levels of satisfaction due to compassion, feel tired, which leads to reinforce the need for greater attention to the work developed by nurses in the Basic Health Unit by managers. Objetivo: Verificar a satisfação e a fadiga por compaixão e seus fatores associados em enfermeiros de Unidade Básica de Saúde. Método: Pesquisa descritiva e transversal desenvolvida com 101 enfermeiros de 40 Unidades Básicas de Saúde de um município paranaense. Os dados foram coletados entre novembro de 2019 a fevereiro de 2020 por meio de um questionário de caracterização sociodemográfica, ocupacional e hábitos de vida e a Professional Quality of Life Scale que avalia a Satisfação e a Fadiga por Compaixão. Os fatores associados foram obtidos por modelos de regressão logística. Resultados: Possuir bom relacionamento interpessoal diminuiu as chances de baixa satisfação por compaixão (p=0,025) e burnout (p=0,049). Ser reconhecido no trabalho teve probabilidade significativamente menor de baixa satisfação por compaixão (p=0,040). Conclusão: O bom relacionamento interpessoal teve associação com a satisfação por compaixão e o burnout. Sentir-se reconhecido pelo trabalho realizado também esteve associado com a satisfação por compaixão. A maioria dos enfermeiros mesmo com altos níveis de satisfação por compaixão, sentem-se cansados, o que leva a reforçar a necessidade de maior atenção ao trabalho desenvolvido pelos enfermeiros de Unidade Básica de Saúde pelos gestores.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096973302110342
Author(s):  
David González-Pando ◽  
Covadonga González-Nuevo ◽  
Ana González-Menéndez ◽  
Fernando Alonso-Pérez ◽  
Marcelino Cuesta

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has produced high stress in nurses, affecting their professional quality of life. Different variables affect psychological stress response and professional quality of life. In this context, the role of professional values represents an interesting object of research. Objectives: To analyze the relationship between professional values, perceived stress, and professional quality of life among nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. Research design, participants, and research context: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were 439 registered nurses from the public health system. Perceived stress, professional quality of life, and professional values were evaluated by using measuring instruments adapted and validated in the geographic context of research. Data were collected online in December 2020 during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Clinical Research of the Principality of Asturias. Findings: Within professional values, ethics obtained higher scores showing the primacy of ethical values among nurses. Moderate correlations between ethics, mastery, expertise, and compassion satisfaction were found. Frontline nurses informed high perceived stress. The correlations between professional values and compassion satisfaction were higher in non-frontline nurses. A moderate negative correlation between perceived stress and compassion satisfaction was found in both groups, which implies that the higher the stress, the lower the satisfaction in the helping relationship. Conclusion: Professional values positively influence compassion satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compassion satisfaction presents a negative correlation with fatigue compassion and burnout in frontline and non-frontline nurses. Given the functionality of values both to guide clinical practice professionally and ethically, and prevent dissatisfaction with one’s professional quality of life by reinforcing compassion satisfaction, it is necessary to reinforce them with an intensive and cross-sectional learning during the university training.


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