Examination of death anxiety, quality of work life and motivation in healthcare professionals

Healthcare professionals often encounter death and terminally ill patients.Since the pandemic, they have been experiencing more death anxiety, affecting their quality of work-life and motivation. This descriptive and cross-sectional study investigated death anxiety, quality of work-life, and motivation in healthcare professionals working in a public university. The study was conducted between May 2021 and July 2021. The study population consisted of 453 nurses, midwives, healthcare officials, emergency medical technicians, doctors, laboratory workers, pharmacists, and x-ray and anesthesia technicians in Çankırı Public Hospital. The sample consisted of 242 healthcare professionals. Participation was voluntary. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Death Anxiety Scale, Employee Quality of Life Scale, and Adult Motivation Scale. Participants had a moderate level of death anxiety and had high levels of motivation. Employed participants had significantly higher "professional satisfaction" and significantly lower "exhaustion and empathy" subscale scores than unemployed participants. Participants with children had significantly higher "thinking about and witnessing death" subscale scores than those without children. Emergency personnel, midwives, nurses, and healthcare officials had high compassion fatigue. Emergency personnel had a significantly higher burnout score than others. Participants who had received training on death had significantly higher "professional satisfaction" and "motivation and compassionfatigue" subscale scores. In conclusion, hospitals should provide healthcare professionals with psychoeducation on death. Authorities should plan personal and institutional support programs to help emergency personnel experience less burnout. Authorities should alsodevelop psychoeducation programs for midwives, nurses, and healthcare officials to help them experience less compassion fatigue. Keywords: Death, Quality Of Life, Motivation, Health Care Professionals