Professional quality of life and emotional well-being among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

Abstract

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the highest groups impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze professional quality of life (ProQOL) and its association with emotional well-being in HCWs during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on HCWs being in close contact with COVID-19 patients in Iran. The questionnaires assessing ProQOL, emotional well-being, and demographic and occupational characteristics were recruited via email or social media. The ProQOL was used to measure compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO) and compassion satisfaction (CS). Results: Among the respondents, 705 HCWs were enrolled, including a higher proportion of physicians 449 (63.7), females 452 (64.1), and married 486 (68.9). The mean of participants' work experience was 8.41 +/- 8.91 years. Almost all of HCWs showed moderate to high levels of CS (98.3). Also, most of HCWs showed a moderate level of CF (96.3), and the majority of them (76.6) had a moderate level of BO. There were significant differences in the duration of contact with COVID-19 patients for all three components of ProQOL and emotional well-being score. Women had a higher level of BO than men (P=0.003). CS was significantly higher in married HCWs than in singles (P=0.007). Pearson correlation coefficient showed that CS had a negative relationship with CF and BO. However, there was a direct correlation between emotional well-being and the CS. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iranian HCWs showed to have moderate to high levels of CS, and a moderate level of both CF and BO, and showed that emotional well-being had a direct correlation with CS.