abstract: 'Aim To explore and provide understanding of the barriers to quality of

  work life among registered nurses in Bangladesh. Background Globally,

  there is growing interest in the working environments of nurses,

  especially at a time of nursing shortages and with the focus on safety

  and care quality in health systems. In a low socio-economic country like

  Bangladesh, nurses struggle in a grossly underfunded healthcare system

  to deliver care to the people but no studies have been conducted on

  their quality of work life. Methods This qualitative descriptive study

  was conducted at three Bangladeshi tertiary hospitals in May

  2015-January 2016. Three focus group discussions were held with 30

  registered nurses exploring their perceived barriers to quality of work

  life. Data were analysed with content analysis. Findings Seven barriers

  to their work-life arose: heavy workloads; lack of government

  accommodation and transportation; poor health status; lack of support

  from nursing supervisors; lack of promotion opportunities; incomplete

  hospital policies and procedures; and lack of night shift and risk

  allowances. Discussion Participants described many issues and barriers

  impacting on their work-life. They perceived little reward for their

  hard work, felt that their health suffered from their working conditions

  and described a low QWL. Conclusion and policy implications Findings

  provide information for nursing and health policymakers and leaders to

  reduce barriers to improve work-life quality among nurses that can

  contribute better to quality of nursing care, and nursing retention and

  satisfaction. Work policies and practices, and funding and other

  resources need to be scrutinized to ensure better working conditions for

  Bangladeshi nurses. Limitations Interviews were conducted with nurses

  only in tertiary hospitals in the Bangladeshi capital, and understanding

  of barriers to work-life quality of nurses in other health settings and

  regions needs to be explored.'
affiliation: 'Akter, N (Corresponding Author), Fouzder Hat Nursing Coll, Chittagong
  4203, Bangladesh.

  Akter, N (Corresponding Author), Chittagong Nursing Coll, Chittagong 4203, Bangladesh.

  Akter, N., Fouzder Hat Nursing Coll, Chittagong 4203, Bangladesh.

  Akter, M. K., Nursing Inst Mitford, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

  Turale, S., Chiang Mai Univ, Chiang Mai, Thailand.'
author: Akter, N. and Akter, M. K. and Turale, S.
author-email: nasimamonir2012@gmail.com
author_list:
- family: Akter
  given: N.
- family: Akter
  given: M. K.
- family: Turale
  given: S.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/inr.12540
earlyaccessdate: AUG 2019
eissn: 1466-7657
files: []
issn: 0020-8132
journal: INTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW
keywords: 'Bangladesh; Barriers; Nurses; Qualitative Descriptive; Quality of Life;

  Quality of Work; Tertiary Hospitals; Working Environment'
keywords-plus: JOB-SATISFACTION
language: English
month: SEP
number: '3'
number-of-cited-references: '29'
pages: 396-403
papis_id: 4492160af419c02c8158521096d8e46b
ref: Akter2019barriersquality
times-cited: '13'
title: 'Barriers to quality of work life among Bangladeshi nurses: a qualitative study'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000481152700001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '22'
volume: '66'
web-of-science-categories: Nursing
year: '2019'