Quality of work-life and priority improvement areas among nurses working in selected hospitals at Jodhpur - An exploratory survey.

Background: The assessment of nursing care quality is integral in assessing healthcare quality. The constantly evolving healthcare landscape directly impacts the working conditions, workload, and overall quality of work life (QWL) for nurses.

Material and methods: A quantitative exploratory survey was conducted in two phases among nurses working at government and private hospitals with the aim of identifying QWL and priority improvement areas. In phase I, the QWL was assessed by Brook's quality of nursing work life (QNWL) survey tool among 81 and 73 nurses working at government and private hospitals, respectively. Phase II had focus group discussion (FGD) among nurses with moderate and high QWL to obtain priority improvement areas from both sectors.

Results: The results revealed that the mean and standard deviation (±SD) of QWL scores in government 172 (±26.81) and private 178 (±30.76) hospital nurses with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.181). Priority improvement areas identified were improving the societal image on nursing, addressing communication gap, positive punishment policy, training programs, and other supportive healthcare assistants among government hospitals nurses and the need for salary increase, necessity to improve the image of nurses in society, requirement for training programs, and higher studies among private hospital nurses.

Conclusion: The majority of nurses in both government and private hospitals reported moderate to high levels of Quality of Life (QOL), yet expressed a desire for an enhanced public perception of nursing. By fostering improved communication, involving nurses in decision-making processes, and providing clear role definitions, we can elevate job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance, ultimately leading to decent work, economic growth, and reduced turnover rates.