An Evaluation of Health Related Quality of Life Assessment Among Nurses in Secondary Health Care Hospitals in South Punjab, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/gb8q1s23Keywords:
Health-related quality of life; WHOQOL-BREF; nurses; secondary health care; South Punjab; pain interference; psychological distress; social support; work environment.Abstract
Background: Nurses are exposed to sustained physical and psychological demands that can influence perceived quality of life and perceived health, with potential implications for workforce sustainability and care delivery in resource-constrained secondary hospitals. Objective: To assess perceived quality of life and satisfaction with health among nurses working in a secondary health care hospital in South Punjab, Pakistan, and examine associations with demographic and professional characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among nurses at a secondary care hospital in Muzaffargarh, South Punjab, after IRB approval (Re: 411-AAA-ERC-AFPGMI). Using convenience sampling, 196 nurses completed a WHOQOL-BREF-based questionnaire. Categorical outcomes (overall quality of life and satisfaction with health) were analysed across demographic and professional strata using chi-square tests (p<0.05). Results: Most nurses rated overall quality of life as good/very good (90.9%) and reported good/very good satisfaction with health (85.7%). Pain-related interference was prominent, with 59.7% endorsing high levels of pain preventing required activities, and 41.4% reporting high need for medical treatment to function daily. Negative feelings were frequent, with 43.9% reporting poor/very poor levels. Overall quality of life was significantly associated with age (χ²=24.092, p=0.001), marital status (χ²=28.839, p=0.001), and job designation (χ²=20.136, p=0.017), while health satisfaction was associated with age (χ²=23.904, p=0.002) and marital status (χ²=30.776, p=0.002). Conclusion: Although global quality-of-life ratings were favourable, substantial symptom burden—particularly pain interference and distress—was evident, supporting targeted occupational health and psychosocial interventions in secondary care nursing environments.
References
1. Muhammed Z, Abubakar IR. Improving the quality of life of urban communities in developing countries. In: Responsible Consumption and Production. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2022. p. 357-370.
2. Manias E, Geddes F, Watson B, Jones D, Della P. Perspectives of clinical handover processes: A multi-site survey across different health professionals. J Clin Nurs. 2016;25(1-2):80-91.
3. Zhang Y, Wang L, Wang Y, et al. Nurses' perspectives on professional self-concept and its influencing factors: A qualitative study. J Adv Nurs. 2024.
4. Prosser LA, Lamarand K, Gebremariam A, Wittenberg E. Surveying family HRQoL impacts utilizing direct utility assessment. Clin Outcomes Res. 2015;35:81-93.
5. Kaplan RM, Hays RD. Health-related quality of life measurement in public health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2022;43(1):355-373.
6. Ibrahim N, Desa A, Chiew-Tong NK, Ismail R, Zainah AZ. Social support and religious coping strategies in health-related quality of life of end-stage renal disease patients. Pertanika J Soc Sci Humanit. 2011;19:91-97.
7. Johnson A. Nursing: The fundamental line of safety. Diary of Nursing Practice. 2019;10(4):78-92.
8. Smith CM. A male point of view on being a clinical regulator in the ongoing clinical advantages climate [doctoral thesis]. Appalachian State School; 2018.
9. Jones L, et al. Standard heading occupations and nursing occupation. Ladies' Assessments Quarterly. 2020;35(3):112-125.
10. Cogin J, Fish A. Vulgar approach to acting - a delicate subject for clinical supervisors. Diary of Success, Connection and The Pioneers. 2009;23(4):442-462.
11. Mason VL. The impact of chronic pain on quality of life: the development of a WHOQOL-based pain module [thesis]. University of Bath; 2004.
12. Kumar S, Kumar N. Concept of quality of life in health care research: a review. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2023.
13. Ashri MHM, Saad HA, Adznam SNA. Factors related with success related individual satisfaction among government workers in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Overall Diary of Normal Examination and General Thriving. 2021;18:2626.
14. World Health Organization. WHOQOL-BREF: Introduction, administration, scoring and generic version of the assessment. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1996.
15. Dionysiou M, Giannouli V. The role of social support in the psychological well-being of nurses in Cyprus: A cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2020;19(1):1-8.
16. Sadeq MA. South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance North South University. 2018.
17. Ferrans CE, Zerwic JJ, Wilbur JE, Larson JL. Conceptual model of health-related quality of life. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2005;37(4):336-342.
18. Karimi M, Brazier J. Health, health-related quality of life, and quality of life: What is the difference? Pharmacoeconomics. 2016;34(7):645-649.
19. Gonzalez SA, Roth RS. Psychological adaptation to chronic pain and HRQoL: the role of coping, social support, and depression. Pain Med. 2006;7(6).
20. Rueda S, Mitra S, Chen S, Gogolishvili D, Walmsley SL, Bayoumi AM, Rourke SB. Examining the associations between HIV-related stigma and health outcomes in people living with HIV/AIDS: a series of meta-analyses. BMJ Open. 2016;6(7):e011453.
21. Rahim N, Naseer A. Quality of life among nurses: A cross-sectional study in tertiary care hospitals of Pakistan. Pak J Public Health. 2017;7(3):150-153.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rukhsana Kausar, Shamaila Mohsin, Zaryab Hassan, Navid Iqbal (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
