Professional Quality of Life of Healthcare Workers in Hospital Emergency Departments

Exploring Burnout, Work Addiction, and Stress-Related Growth among Prehospital Emergency Personnel

Burnout and stress-related issues are significant concerns among medical personnel involved in emergency situations due to the high demands of their work. A cross-sectional descriptive and comparative study was conducted on 266 prehospital emergency personnel across five Romanian counties, comprising 41 physicians, 74 nurses, and 151 paramedics. Data were collected through an online form, including demographic and professional characteristics, and five validated scales. This study revealed moderate (49.3%) to high (25.9%) burnout rates, with 35% showing signs of work addiction. Despite these challenges, the personnel demonstrated high levels of stress-related growth (61.2%), strong self-discipline (74.1%), and low to moderate responsive distress (100%). Physicians exhibited higher work addiction and job satisfaction, whereas paramedics faced higher burnout, self-discipline, and distress levels. Nurses showed lower burnout and self-discipline levels. These findings highlight the prevalence of burnout and work addiction among emergency medical personnel, while also underscoring the presence of protective factors like higher self-discipline, good level of stress-related growth, and low to moderate responsive distress. The distinct differences in experiences among physicians, nurses, and paramedics emphasize the need for tailored strategies to address these issues within each group.

Relationship between Strength and Professional Quality of Life of Nurses Working Hospital Emergency Departments

Optimal quality of professional life can allow coping with stressful situations and avoiding fatigue. This is instrumental in jobs undergoing very demanding situations, such as nurses working in Emergency Departments. In this study, we investigated the relationship between functional and physiological indicators and the quality of professional life in nurses of Emergency Departments of two public hospitals. Fifty-nine professionals participated in the study. Cortisol (an indicator of stress) and post-test lactate (an indicator of fatigue) were analyzed in saliva and in the blood, respectively, at the beginning and at the end of the morning shift. The CVP-35 survey (Spanish version of the QPL-35 questionnaire) was used to assess the quality of professional life. Post-dynamometry circulating lactate levels increased significantly; meanwhile, salivary cortisol decreased in participants at the end of the working shift. Regarding dynamometry, no significant changes were observed. CVP-35/QPL-35 scores did not show significant changes in participants from both hospitals in all dimensions analyzed. In conclusion, nurses participating in the study displayed adaptation to stress accompanied by an acceptable level of professional quality of life. However, certain fatigue appears at the end of the working day. Altogether, results suggest that a better organization must be implemented at work, improving ergonomic, safe, and healthy conditions.