Quality of work life in a cohort of italian health workers

BACKGROUND: Quality of work life (QWL) includes some objective and subjective factors which may condition operations and other inner aspects concerning the quality of relationships and methods of management. Aim: To analyse the quality of work life indicators in a cohort of Italian health workers. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted, to assess the quality of work life through the identification of the most important indicators and to evaluate the degree of satisfaction and the importance of each indicator. 112 health operators were interviewed. All workers belonged to the same local health service in North West Italy. RESULTS: We have pointed out some macro areas which are relevant to define work life quality of the analysed sample: relationships with colleagues, work organization, taking care of patients, professional ability and professional growth. The weekly number of patients seems to be important to determine the differences among the workers in the quality perceived in their work life. CONCLUSIONS: The collected data contribute to define which indicators must be taken into consideration in order to complete an evaluation of the quality of health organizations; this includes also the subjective variables connected to the quality of the work life.