Researchers developed a survey, the Oncology Nursing Professional Quality of Life survey, which aims to better measure oncology nurses’ professional quality of life.

Nurses’ emotions and experiences with their work, both positive and negative, form their professional quality of life. Improving nurses’ professional quality of life is important as low professional quality of life results in nurse turnover, patient care errors, and overall loss of health system revenue. Current systems for measuring nurses’ professional quality of life are not effective and therefore make it hard to determine the effectiveness of improvement efforts.

Results from a grounded theory study revealed the Theory of Oncology Nurses’ Professional Quality of Life demonstrated that interview responses from oncology nurses reflected a definition of professional quality of life that is not consistent with any definitions or surveys currently utilized.

Researchers used this theory to develop the Oncology Nursing Professional Quality of Life survey, aiming to better measure oncology nurses’ professional quality of life, which was presented at the 49^th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress in Washington, DC. The survey was presented by Rebecca Boni, PhD, MSN, RN, ACCNS-AG, OCN, Oakland University School of Nursing, Rochester, Minnesota.

Survey items were written to closely reflect the direct quotes and themes expressed by the oncology nurses interviewed for the development of the Theory of Oncology Nurses’ Professional Quality of Life. The new survey originally consisted of 66 Likert-type items in 4 subcategories: accepting the context of oncology nursing, bettering the world, pursuing a calling, and being valued.

Dr Boni and colleagues then revised the individual items on the Oncology Nursing Professional Quality of Life survey based on feedback from 6 global experts in oncology nursing, professional quality of life, and/or psychometrics and survey development. Each item on the survey was assessed for relevance, clarity, and fit.

In the current round of testing, oncology nurses are evaluating the survey for internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis will help determine which survey items fit best together into subscales. After factor analysis, researchers anticipate the total number of survey items will decrease, therefore minimizing response burden.

In conclusion, the Oncology Nursing Professional Quality of Life survey, once psychometrically tested, revised based on psychometrics, will help to better measure oncology nurses’ professional quality of life and support and maintain the oncology nursing workforce.

Source:

Boni R, Dingley C, Moxley K, MacIver A. Starting from the Oncology Nurses’ Perspective: A New Approach to Measuring Oncology Nurses’ Professional Quality of Life. Presented at Oncology Nursing Society Annual Congress. April 24-28, 2024; Washington, DC.