title: Quality of work life of rural emergency department nurses and physicians: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information about recruitment and retention factors and quality of work life (QWL) in rural emergency departments (EDs) is limited. A pilot study was used to determine the feasibility of a large-scale study of these variables in Quebec EDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two EDs, approximately 10,000 and 30,000 patients per year respectively, were selected as convenience samples. An online survey containing the Quality of Work Life Systemic Inventory (QWLSI; 34 items) and the Recruitment and Retention Factors Questionnaire (39 items) was sent to ED nurses and physicians of these two EDs. Descriptive statistics of percentage, mean and standard deviation and correlations were used to analyse the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty out of 64 eligible workers (62%) gave their consent to participate, but only 20 had completed both questionnaires. Participants' mean age was 42 years (SD = 11.6). The average participants satisfaction with their access to continuing education was low (Mean = 1.6, SD = 0.8). However, their satisfaction with technical resources (Mean = 2.4, SD = 0.7), pre-hospital and inter-hospital transfer services (Mean = 2.5, SD = 0.6), relationships with colleagues (Mean = 2.7, SD = 0.6) and managers (Mean = 2.2, SD = 0.7), work-life balance (Mean = 2.4, SD = 0.6) and emergency patient access to other departments (Mean = 3.7, SD = 0.6) was in the average. The impact of several aspects of the rural environment (e.g. tranquility) on quality of life was also in the average (Mean = 2.5, SD = 0.7). QWL was in the average, excepted subscale 'support offered to employee' for which the QWL was lower.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data collection was difficult and the larger study will require strategies to improve recruitment such as a paper alternative. The study showed globally good recruitment and retention factors and QWL for these ED nurses and physicians. These results will help hospital administrations better plan initiatives aimed at improving retention and QWL.
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Unit, Liège, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium. Isabelle.bragard@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bragard
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Research Centre of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, Université Laval, Lévis, Canada. rfleet@videotron.ca.|Research Centre of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, Université Laval, 143 Wolfe Street, Lévis, QC, G6V 3Z1, Canada. rfleet@videotron.ca.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fleet
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Unit, Liège, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium. AM.etienne@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Etienne
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Research Centre of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, Université Laval, Lévis, Canada. patrick.m.archambault@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Archambault
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Knowledge Transfer and Health Technology Assessment of the CHUQ Research Centre (CRCHUQ), Unité de Recherche Evaluative, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. France.Legare@mfa.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Légaré
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Research Centre of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, Université Laval, Lévis, Canada. chaunyj@videotron.ca.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chauny
authors.affiliation: Direction des Systèmes de soins et services, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada. jean-Frederic.Levesque@inspq.qc.ca.
authors.forename: Jean-Frédéric
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.affiliation: Département de science politique, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. mathieu.ouimet@pol.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouimet
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Research Centre of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, Université Laval, Lévis, Canada. Julien.Poitras@fmed.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poitras
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. Dupuis.gilles@uqam.ca.|Centre de liaison sur l'intervention et la prévention psychosociales (CLIPP), Montreal, QC, Canada. Dupuis.gilles@uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dupuis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D011792:Quebec; D019035:Rural Health Services; D000078329:Workforce