Background: A majority of Taiwan's foreign-national nursing aides are contract workers from Vietnam. Ensuring they enjoy a satisfactory quality of life (QOL) is critical to the well being of these Vietnamese aides as well as to their ability to deliver appropriate patient care. Few studies have addressed Vietnamese nursing aide QOL in Taiwan.Purpose: This study explored factors associated with the QOL of Vietnamese nursing aides working at medical institutions in Taiwan.Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Vietnamese nursing aides currently working at regional hospitals in Kaohsiung city and county who had worked in Taiwan for at least three months. We distributed a structured questionnaire to potential participants and collected 264 valid questionnaires between January and April 2010; SPSS17.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results: ”Role limitations due to emotional problems” earned the highest QOL score; ”mental health” earned the lowest QOL score. Stepwise multiple regression results found those working 11-12 hours per day earned significantly lower scores than those working 8-10 hours per day. Participants educated to the high school level scored significantly better than those educated to the college level on the physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), and 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). Participants 31-55 years of age earned significantly better PCS and SF-36 scores than those 21-30 years of age. Participants given less than 3 days off per month earned significantly lower PCS scores. Participants with over two years of working experience earned significantly higher MCS scores. Participants who worked night shifts took care of fewer patients and earned significantly higher MCS scores.Conclusions: This study indicates working hours per day, education level, age, number of days off per month, years of working experience, and working night shifts are significant QOL predictors in Vietnamese nursing aides working in Taiwan.
Background: A majority of Taiwan's foreign-national nursing aides are contract workers from Vietnam. Ensuring they enjoy a satisfactory quality of life (QOL) is critical to the well being of these Vietnamese aides as well as to their ability to deliver appropriate patient care. Few studies have addressed Vietnamese nursing aide QOL in Taiwan.Purpose: This study explored factors associated with the QOL of Vietnamese nursing aides working at medical institutions in Taiwan.Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Vietnamese nursing aides currently working at regional hospitals in Kaohsiung city and county who had worked in Taiwan for at least three months. We distributed a structured questionnaire to potential participants and collected 264 valid questionnaires between January and April 2010; SPSS17.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results: ”Role limitations due to emotional problems” earned the highest QOL score; ”mental health” earned the lowest QOL score. Stepwise multiple regression results found those working 11-12 hours per day earned significantly lower scores than those working 8-10 hours per day. Participants educated to the high school level scored significantly better than those educated to the college level on the physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), and 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). Participants 31-55 years of age earned significantly better PCS and SF-36 scores than those 21-30 years of age. Participants given less than 3 days off per month earned significantly lower PCS scores. Participants with over two years of working experience earned significantly higher MCS scores. Participants who worked night shifts took care of fewer patients and earned significantly higher MCS scores.Conclusions: This study indicates working hours per day, education level, age, number of days off per month, years of working experience, and working night shifts are significant QOL predictors in Vietnamese nursing aides working in Taiwan.