Organizational Wellbeing and Quality of Life in Healthcare Settings: Unexpected Similarities Across Different Roles?
<i>Background/Objectives</i>: Occupational well-being and professional quality of life are essential for healthcare sustainability. While clinical staff are presumed to experience higher stress, few studies have compared their experience to that of non-clinical personnel within the same institution. <i>Methods</i>: This observational study involved 63 employees from an Italian research hospital: 36 healthcare workers in critical care and 27 administrative staff. Participants completed the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE), an ad hoc organizational questionnaire, and the ProQoL Version 5 (administered to clinical staff only). Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square) were used to explore group differences. <i>Results</i>: No significant differences emerged between groups in coping styles or strategies. Significant differences were observed only in reports of work-related injuries (42% of healthcare staff vs. 4% of administrative staff; <i>p</i> = 0.002) and perceived disruption caused by vacation requests (64% vs. 26%; <i>p</i> = 0.006). Other organizational indicators such as job dissatisfaction, intention to leave, or perceived managerial support did not differ significantly. ProQoL results showed that 53% of healthcare workers had moderate to high burnout, and 47.2% scored high on compassion fatigue, while only 2.7% showed high levels of secondary traumatic stress. <i>Conclusions</i>: Despite distinct operational contexts, healthcare and administrative staff reported broadly similar experiences in terms of coping and organizational well-being. These findings challenge assumptions of stark differences across professional roles and suggest that workplace well-being strategies should address the needs of both clinical and non-clinical staff.
Authors
- Francesco Corallo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4862-3832)
- Lilla Bonanno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0282-405X)
- Irene Cappadona (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3984-2331)
- Davide Cardile (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-0970)
- Giangaetano D’Aleo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3678-433X)
- Maria Carmen Pagano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0978-605X)
- Rosaria De Luca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9503-4366)
- Smeralda Anchesi
- Maria Felicita Crupi
- Anna Anselmo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8665-3575)
- Fabio Libro
- Antonino Longo Minnolo
- Mersia Migliara
- Stellario Libro
Institutions
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico "G. Martino" (IT)
- Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo (IT)
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Papardo Piemonte (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Medicina
- Published
- 2025-08-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61081437
- Primary Topic
- Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00