Well-Being in the Workplace: Examining Professional Quality of Life and Mental Health Across Healthcare Professions
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Healthcare Organizations, Systems, and Providers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 March 2027 | Viewed by 191
Special Issue Editor
Interests: nursing profession; burnout; psychosocial hazards in the workplace; sleep disorders among elderly people
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Rapid organizational changes, increasing systemic demands, and prolonged exposure to stress have made professional quality of life (ProQOL) one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary healthcare. Healthcare professionals—including doctors, nurses, medical staff, and caregivers—are particularly exposed to chronic stress due to high workloads, responsibility for patient outcomes, and frequent encounters with suffering. These conditions not only affect their mental and physical health but also influence patient care, organizational performance, and the stability of healthcare systems.
Professional quality of life encompasses both positive and negative aspects of work functioning. Positive aspects include compassion satisfaction, job meaningfulness, and engagement, while negative aspects involve chronic stress consequences such as burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Burnout—characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment—poses a serious threat to the well-being of healthcare professionals and the overall effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
High levels of occupational burnout are associated with decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism, higher staff turnover, diminished care quality, and deterioration of mental and physical health. Conversely, a high professional quality of life promotes engagement, motivation, productivity, and positively impacts patient care.
Preventing burnout requires interventions at both individual and organizational levels. Psychological support programs, stress management training, promotion of work–life balance, and supportive work environments can significantly enhance professional quality of life. A comprehensive approach that addresses healthcare workers’ needs and the unique characteristics of their work environment is essential for mitigating the negative effects of burnout and promoting overall workforce well-being.
This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality empirical studies, reviews, meta-analyses, and conceptual papers that advance understanding of the mechanisms underlying professional quality of life and occupational burnout among healthcare professionals. We also welcome contributions presenting innovative strategies and interventions to enhance resilience, well-being, and engagement in healthcare settings.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Krystyna Kowalczuk
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- professional quality of life
- occupational burnout
- work-related stress
- healthcare professionals
- medical staff
- psychological well-being
- job satisfaction
- resilience
- organizational support
- leadership
- work–life balance
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