HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN A TERTIARY HEALTH INSTITUTION OF SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Abstract

Introduction: Health professionals (HP) are frequently exposed to a high number of hazards at the workplace. Consequently, low ratings for their well-being and satisfaction with health care may adversely affect the quality of health services they provide. This study aimed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and determine the effects of socio-demographic variables on HRQOL across HP in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria, a low-middle-income economy. Method: This was a cross-sectional survey of 385 HP purposively recruited from different units of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, Nigeria. All respondents completed the Medical Outcomes Study short-form (SF-36) questionnaire. Also, the socio-demographic information on the respondents was obtained. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentages; and inferential statistics of independent t-test and one way ANOVA was used to analyze data. Alpha level was set at p<0.05. Results: Respondents comprised 273 males and 112 females. They scored well above the cut-off point of 50 in most subscales with higher physical (80.95±12.03) than mental (67.58±7.88) component score on SF-36. There were significant differences between gender in favour of male respondents with the highest mean score across each of the age groups, educational and professional qualifications (p<0.01) on most subscales. Conclusion: There are considerable inequalities in HRQOL among HP in this study. These inequalities are gender-biased and favour professionals with post-graduate degree. Findings from this study are comparable to other climes and advocate support for female HP, those on low cadre and higher degree training.