The Well-Being of Women in Healthcare Professions: A Comprehensive Review

Authors

Viktoriya Karakcheyeva, The Resiliency & Well-being Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
Haneefa Willis-Johnson, The Resiliency & Well-being Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
Patrick G. Corr, The Resiliency & Well-being Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
Leigh A. Frame, The Resiliency & Well-being Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

Global advances in integrative medicine and health

Volume

13

DOI

10.1177/27536130241232929

Keywords

burnout; clinicians; healthcare providers; job satisfaction; psychological health; quality of life; resiliency; stress; well-being; women’s health; work-life integration

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A multidisciplinary team of health scientists and educators at an academic medical center came together to consider the various factors that impact well-being among self-identified women working in healthcare and conducted a comprehensive literature review to identify the existing body of knowledge. OBJECTIVES: To examine how well-being is defined, what instruments are used to measure it, and correlation between professional and personal gender-specific factors that impact the well-being of women in healthcare occupations. METHODS: A total of 71 studies published in 26 countries between 1979-2022 were extracted from PubMed. Studies enrolled adult women (18-74 y.o.) healthcare professionals including nurses, physicians, clinical social workers, and mental health providers. Well-being related phenomena such as quality of life (QOL), stress, burnout, resiliency, and wellness were investigated. In this review, women are broadly defined to include any individual who primarily identifies as a woman regardless of their sex assigned at birth. RESULTS: The results of our analysis were consistent across the scope of the literature and indicated that women in healthcare occupations endure a significantly higher level of stress and burnout compared to their male counterparts. The following gender-specific factors were identified as having direct correlation to well-being: job satisfaction, psychological health, and work-life integration. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this review indicate a need for evidence-based integrative interventions across healthcare enterprises to combat stress and burnout and strengthen the resiliency and well-being of women in healthcare. Using information from this review, our team will launch a comprehensive well-being assessment and a series of interventions to support resiliency and well-being at our academic medical center.

APA Citation

Karakcheyeva, Viktoriya; Willis-Johnson, Haneefa; Corr, Patrick G.; and Frame, Leigh A., "The Well-Being of Women in Healthcare Professions: A Comprehensive Review" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 4359.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/4359

Department

Clinical Research and Leadership