WORK ABILITY AND WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AMONG A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS: THE EFFECT ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE

the study design. Bolbol SA : editing materials and methods, Abdelsalam NM: data analysis and results, El-Saka FS: was responsible for the discussion. All authors shared in data collection, revision and approval of the manuscript. Abstract Introduction: The work environment of healthcare professionals is psychologically traumatic and extremely demanding. Excessive work stress can negatively impact their health and productivity. Achieving work-life balance (WLB) is crucial for the success of workers and organizations. Aim of Work: To assess work-family conflict (WFC) and the work ability index (WAI) among healthcare workers and to identify personal and work-related factors influencing their WLB. Materials and Methods: The current cross-sectional study was performed on 293 healthcare workers at Zagazig university hospitals using standardized questionnaires including sociodemographic characteristics and scales of WAI, WFC, and WLB. Results: The WAI among administrative workers was significantly higher than among nurses and healthcare professionals. About 33.0% of healthcare workers had a good WAI, with the percentage being higher among males, singles, and younger age. WFC was higher among females and increased with those having a higher number of children, and it was also significantly higher among healthcare professionals compared to nurses and administrative workers. It was found that administrative workers, singles, and highly educated individuals had a higher WLB. In addition, working hours were discovered to be significant predictors of the WAI, WFC, and WLB. A significant negative correlation was detected between WFC and both WLB and WAI. Conclusions and Recommendations: The potential to balance personal and professional obligations is a concern for both workers and organizations