The relationship between quality of professional life and feeling of compassion health workers in nursing homes and geriatric care- rehabilitation centers

Compassion can be defined as recognizing the difficulties and needs of others and providing support to them. Healthcare workers employed in nursing homes and elderly care rehabilitation centers may experience compassion more intensely as the group they serve consists mainly of older individuals. Accordingly, it is thought that compassion may have a determining effect on the quality of work life of healthcare workers. This study was conducted using a descriptive and correlational design to identify the personal and professional characteristics affecting the quality of work life and compassion levels of healthcare workers employed in nursing homes and elderly care rehabilitation centers in Turkey, and to examine the relationship between these two variables. The population of the research consisted of healthcare personnel working in nursing homes and elderly care rehabilitation centers affiliated with the Ministry of Family and Social Services in Turkey. The sample consisted of a total of 243 healthcare workers who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected online using the "Personal Information Form," the "Compassion Scale," and the "Quality of Work Life Scale" prepared by the researcher. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained from all participants. Descriptive statistical methods, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation test were used to analyze the data. Among the participants, 66,5% were female, 61,6% were between the ages of 31 and 40, 63% had a bachelor's degree, 46,3% were nurses, and 50,7% had 1–5 years of professional experience. The results showed that healthcare workers "quality of work life" levels were moderate (mean∓SD), and their "compassion" levels were generally high (mean∓SD). A statistically significant and positive correlation was found between compassion levels and quality of work life (r =,127; p<0,05). In addition, it was determined that participants' compassion levels showed statistically significant differences according to variables such as gender, educational status, department of employment, and workload (p<0,05). The findings reveal that supporting the emotional resilience of healthcare workers providing nursing home and elderly care rehabilitation services and improving their working environments would positively contribute to employee motivation and service quality. In this regard, there is a need for improvement initiatives at both individual and institutional levels.