Background
Since 2000, the number of full-time healthcare workers has nearly doubled. Women account for a sizable percentage of this growth and remain critical to the successful delivery of healthcare services. As a result, it is critical to understand what factors contribute to women’s well-being at work.
Because of the diverse roles that women play in society, they often face intense pressure to succeed both at home and at work. This can result in negative outcomes such as occupational burnout, psychological anguish, anxiety, depression, and even suicide ideation.
In the healthcare industry, these negative consequences might result in a loss of patient trust, a failure to follow to treatment standards, and lower quality care. Thus, it is vital that female healthcare workers, in particular, have enough assistance.
About the study
In this study, 71 articles published in 26 countries between 1979 and 2022 were examined. These studies involved adult female healthcare professionals aged 18 to 74, including mental health practitioners, clinical social workers, nurses, and physicians.
Several well-being indicators were studied, including resilience, wellness, burnout, stress, and quality of life (QOL). Individuals who identified as women were included in the current study, regardless of their natal sex assignment.
Study findings
This comprehensive analysis looked at various study designs connected to the well-being of female healthcare professionals in a variety of nations and social settings. Previous studies described well-being as being disease-free or not experiencing job discontent; however, this definition is insufficient because well-being should also include encouraging enjoyment, security, and comfort.
Several research have found a link between poor work-life balance and worse levels of well-being. To that aim, women are frequently pushed to put the demands of their families and children ahead of their own professional advancement.
About 25% of the research analyzed found that women experienced burnout at a higher incidence than men due to a lack of professional autonomy and inadequate working conditions. Women’s burnout rates were lower when they worked in a supportive workplace with flexible scheduling.
Further more, 20% of the research emphasized the significance of personal relationships, with familial relationships, romance, and friendship favorably influencing a sense of well-being among women working in healthcare. The impact of environmental influences and individual life experiences were critical to well-being.
Approximately 16% of the research found that implicit gender prejudice was a significant source of mental distress among female healthcare workers. This was exhibited in a variety of ways, including unequal compensation, fewer prospects for advancement, and not addressing female coworkers by their professional titles.
Several research explored the link between purposeful mindfulness, exercise, sleep, diet, and well-being. These research found that lifestyle modifications helped reduce stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
Opportunities for mentoring and professional development had a favorable impact on 11% of the examined publications. These activities develop a stronger bond with coworkers and a larger sense of belonging, resulting in more professional opportunities and job satisfaction.
Conclusions
The current review looked at the well-being of female healthcare workers and how it relates to work-related pressures. Several factors have been identified as contributing to emotional instability and job discontent, which can have serious ramifications for both the affected individual and the quality of patient treatment.
The study’s findings should spur additional research into various levels of gender-sensitive interventions. More preventative strategies, including as educational workshops, mindfulness practices, and institutional policy, should be used to investigate the impact of more holistic well-being activities for women.
Furthermore, the idea of well-being could be broadened by incorporating physical and mental health. Well-being should also include a sense of meaning or purpose, life satisfaction, and the ability to cope with stress.
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