Factors affecting the occupational safety and quality of life of healthcare workers in the university hospital

Healthcare workers face physical and mental risks due to the nature of their profession. Difficult working conditions, long working hours, occupational stress and inadequate occupational safety measures negatively affect both employee health and service quality. This study aims to compare the quality of life, anxiety, depression, and occupational safety levels among four professional groups—doctors, nurses, healthcare technicians, and auxiliary healthcare personnel—working in a university hospital. Data were collected using the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Occupational Safety Scale for Healthcare Personnel. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 software, with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) applied for parametric data and the Kruskal-Wallis H test for non-parametric data. While no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of quality of life, anxiety, or depression scores (p > 0.05), differences were identified in certain subcategories of the occupational safety scale. Specifically, doctors and nurses demonstrated higher risks under the "Occupational Diseases and Complaints" subcategory, whereas auxiliary healthcare personnel scored higher in "Managerial Support and Approaches" and "Health Screening and Record Systems" subcategories (p < 0.05). The findings show that occupational groups have different needs and occupational safety practices should be regulated accordingly. The similarity in anxiety and depression levels reveals that employees face common psychosocial risks. Job-specific interventions are important to improve occupational safety and quality of life of healthcare workers.