Work-life Balance in Nursing: A scoping review

Abstract

This scoping review synthesizes existing evidence regarding nurses’work-life balance and the associated personal and organizational factors. An imbalance between professional responsibilities and personal life can lead to adverse physical and mental health outcomes, medication errors, increased turnover intentions, and diminished job performance. A scoping review, guided by the Arksey & O'Malley framework, was conducted. A comprehensive search of PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar was performed to identify relevant studies published between 2006 and 2020 . Thirty-three studies that focused on the professional right to work-life balance in nursing and its personal and organizational determinants were included. The analysis identified positive factors such as social support, decision authority, leisure time, supervisory support, flexible work arrangements, and job sharing. The findings highlight the importance of work-life balance for nursing professionals and its impact on their lives and work, underscoring the critical role of targeted individual and organizational interventions in promoting nurses’ well-being and performance. Nursing professionals should implement and evaluate individual and organizational strategies addressing job control, job satisfaction, motivation, and organizational support to promote sustainable work-life balance.