Quality of life at work among intensive care physiotherapists: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17267/2238-2704rpf.2025.6386Keywords:
Quality of Life, Occupational Stress, Intensive Care Units, Physical TherapistsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the quality of work life (QWL), describe the sociodemographic and occupational profile, and identify factors associated with QWL among physiotherapists working in intensive care units (ICUs). METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 118 ICU physiotherapists in Salvador/BA, Brazil. A structured online questionnaire was distributed via email and social media to active professionals registered with the regional professional council. In addition to sociodemographic and occupational data, QWL was assessed using the Total Quality of Work Life-42 (TQWL-42) instrument, which evaluates the biological/physiological, psychological/behavioral, sociological/relational, economic/political, and environmental/organizational domains, classifying them as satisfactory or unsatisfactory and indicating their trends. Comparative and associative analysis was performed by crossing scores and sociodemographic and occupational factors. RESULTS: Most participants were female (76.3%), adults (median age 34.5 years [interquartile range – IQR 29.7–39.0]), single (44.1%), held a lato sensu postgraduate degree (82.2%), reported a monthly income between R$4,800.00 and R$12,100.00 (63.6%), did not engage in professional activities outside the hospital (56.8%), predominantly worked in public institutions (40.7%), and had a weekly workload exceeding 40 hours (65.3%). Overall QWL was considered satisfactory, with a tendency toward neutrality/unsatisfaction (52.3 [IQR 46.1–60.7]). The psychological/behavioral domain was positively perceived (65.6 [IQR 56.2–75.0]), while the economic/political domain indicated the need for improvements in the work environment (37.5 [IQR 31.2–46.8]). Professionals working in private institutions presented higher scores in the biological/physiological domain (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Despite continuous exposure to biopsychosocial risks, ICU physiotherapists rated their QWL as satisfactory, with no sociodemographic or occupational factors influencing this perception.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Janilson Matos Teixeira Matos, Helder Brito Duarte, Gilmara Oliveira Santos Matos, Kristine Menezes Barberino Mendes, Reinaldo Luz Melo, Katia de Miranda Avena
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
