Quality of nursing work life: A literature review

The nursing profession in India is going through tough times. It is a paradox that even though nurses play a key role in saving lives, the profession itself is often marginalized and the quality of life enjoyed by the nurses is not high. Findings from many studies indicate that nurses still face challenging working conditions, shortage of manpower, abuse from employers, colleagues, and patients ’families; very low salary and workplace restriction and poor work environments and no social acceptance. All over India there have been agitations by nurses, for improvement of their working conditions and salaries. It is highly essential to identify the challenges in work life faced by the nurses to address issues. A few Indian studies have addressed the concept of quality of nursing work life (QNWL).