Quality of life among otolaryngology and head and neck surgery residents in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The surgical residency training programs have the nature of long work hours and a stressful environment that might lead to disturbances in the quality of life of the residents. Surgical residents’ performance might be affected by the poor quality of life. This study aimed to assess the quality of life of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery residents, in Saudi Arabia. Subjects and methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted among otolaryngology and head and neck surgery residents in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted residents. The questionnaire is primarily composed of the socio-demographic data and the work-related quality of life (WRQoL) questionnaire. The WRQoL was composed of 6 domains as General Well-Being (GWB), Home-Work Interface (HWI), Job and Career Satisfaction (JCS), Control at Work (CAW), Working Conditions Satisfaction (WCS ), and Stress at Work (SAW). Results: The overall work-related quality of life was good among 43.6% of the residents. Among its domains, WCS showed better results with a 55.3% high level while SAW was the least (25.5%). Older age group (30 years) were observed to have a significantly higher mean score in JCS (p=0.040), CAW (p=0.002) and WRQoL (p=0.027). Smoking residents showed a higher mean score in JCS (p=0.023) and HWI (p=0.001). It is interesting to note that increasing residency levels were more associated with increasing CAW scores (p=0.003). Conclusion: The work-related quality of life among otolaryngology, head and neck surgical residents was adequate. Older residents demonstrated a better quality of life than younger residents. ACGME competencies: Medical knowledge, Patient care, Interpersonal skills communication. Keywords: Quality of life, WRQoL, otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, residents