Aim: Nurses play a major role in critical care units (CCUs), providing care to critically ill patients while also facing numerous health challenges that impair their quality of life. This was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the professional quality of life (ProQOL) and establish the prevalence of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among CCU nurses in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey of CCU nurses was conducted using the ProQOL Scale, consisting of three subscales: 1) compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, 2) burnout, and 3) secondary traumatic stress. The data were analyzed to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: A total of 238 ICU nurses, who were predominantly female (83%) and had a bachelor's degree (80%), participated in this study. The ProQOL subscales exhibited varied mean scores across demographic variables. Statistically significant differences were observed in the compassion satisfaction (p=0.014) of CCU nurses working in public hospitals, and in the secondary traumatic stress (p=0.006) among nurses working in night shifts. The percentage distribution of CCU nurses' individual levels for all the ProQOL subscales were within the average to high levels.
Conclusion: The ProQOL was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, varied ProQOL mean scores across demographic characteristics suggest that interpersonal differences should be considered when developing improvement initiatives.
Keywords: critical care; critical care unit nurses; nursing practice; professional quality of life.
© 2022 Ageel and Shbeer.