Perception Toward Work-Life Balance Among Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Background: Globally, work-life imbalance is a growing concern, especially among healthcare professionals like nurses and doctors. The ‘Work-Life Balance’ is a harmonious equilibrium between an individual's professional and personal responsibilities and being comfortable managing both work and non-work obligations. Methods: A descriptive single-centered quantitative study was conducted among 100 healthcare professionals (50 doctors and 50 nurses) in Kochi, focusing on work-life balance. Data was collected through a Semi-structured questionnaire to assess the socio-demographic data and a questionnaire for self-assessing work-life balance was used. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The comparison of work-life balance between nurses and doctors was computed by using an independent t-test. Results: The majority (65%) of the healthcare professionals were less than thirty years old. Most of them were married (76%) and had children (47%). There was a statistically significant association between monthly income and work-life balance (P=0.001). Around 23% of the health professionals had a poor work-life balance, 57% had a borderline work-life balance and 20% of them maintained a good work-life balance. There was a statistically significant difference between the work-life balance of nurses and doctors (P=0.001) Conclusion: The study findings revealed that majority of the healthcare professionals have a borderline work-life balance, indicating the need for immediate action to prevent further issues from escalating. Maintaining a balanced work-life is important for healthcare productivity, job satisfaction, positive clinical outcomes, and high-quality patient care and safety.