PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK ACCORDING TO LEVEL OF CARE AND NURSE CATEGORY

Abstract

Aim: To determine the perceived Quality of Life at Work, in relation to level of care and nurse categories at public institutions in a north-eastern Mexican city. Subjects and methods: Quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional and comparative design. Sample: 345 subjects; information was collected between 2012 and 2013. The instrument to measure the Quality of Life at work, validated in Mexican population, was Cronbach's Alpha 0.952. Statistical analysis done with SPSS (v.15), chi-square and mean comparison test performed with ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis, with a significance level of 0.05. The involved institutions authorized procedures and validated the participants' informed consent forms through corresponding Ethics Committee. Results: According to care levels, the greatest mean corresponds to the first level (218.07 DE=42.73), followed by the third (208.99 DE= 39.33) and lastly by the second level (196.06 DE=42.27) (F=6.854, p=0.001). According to nurse categories, the greatest mean was found among the professional nurses of the first level of care (218.26 DE=45.44), while the lowest mean was found among professional nurses of the second level of care (189.15 DE=44.82) (X2=16.387, p=0.006). The following dimensions showed significant differences in relation to level of care (p<0.05): satisfaction from work, wellness achieved through work, worker's personal development and management of free time. Free time management showed significant differences in relation to nurse categories (p<0.05). Conclusions: The nursing staff is fairly satisfied with their quality of life at work, regardless of level of care and nurse category (207.32 DE=41.74), with the exception of professional nurses of the second level of care, who perceive their quality of life at work as low.