Psychometric analysis of the Polish version of the professional quality of life scale version 5 and the phenomenon diagnosis among palliative care nurses

Introduction
The aim of the following study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Polish professional quality of life version 5 (ProQOL 5 – PL) questionnaire and to diagnose the level of compassion fatigue, work satisfaction, and job burnout among nurses providing health services in palliative care in Poland.

Material and methods
In a cross-sectional study with non-randomised network sampling, a total of 424 palliative care nurses with representation from palliative care units in specific voivodeships completed the survey. The ProQOL 5 – PL scale is a 30-item questionnaire in a 5-point Likert scale. The data were collected between June and August 2023. The accuracy of the ProQOL 5 – PL construct was determined with the use of confirmatory factor analysis. To test a tri-factor structure of ProQOL a structural equation modelling in a maximum likelihood estimated method was used.

Results
Confirmatory factor analysis revealed appropriate matches in the Polish version of the ProQOL V-PL scale. Cronbach’s  coefficient for subscales in the Polish version scored the following: compassion satisfaction  = 0.896, burnout  = 0.749, and secondary traumatic stress  = 0.775. In the studied group the highest average rating was observed in the compassion satisfaction subscale (40.59 ± 6.67), followed by secondary traumatic stress (23.66 ± 5.66) and burnout (21.14 ± 5.56).

Conclusions
The results of the study show that the Polish version of ProQOL 5 – PL is accurate, reliable, repeatable, and can be used in academic studies.