Abstract
BACKGROUND: Quality of work life has emerged as one of the primary determinants of nurse's satisfaction, retention, and well-being within the profession, while empathy refers to responding to patient's feelings in a compassionate and caring manner. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the quality of work life and clinical empathy levels among nurses in Palestine and to identify the predictive factors of quality of work life. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used, involving 250 nurses working in governmental and nongovernmental hospitals, selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected through an internet-based questionnaire from February to April 2025 which included validated tools for measuring quality of work life and empathy, demonstrating very good reliability (α = 0.88 and 0.82, respectively). RESULTS: Nurses reported a mean overall quality of work life (QWL) score of 3.30 ± 0.47. Among QWL domains, Stress at work recorded the highest mean score (3.62 ± 0.72), while general well-being and the home-work interface demonstrated comparatively lower scores. The mean empathy score was 33.55 ± 5.56 (range 0-64). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that empathy was the strongest positive predictor of QWL (β = .370, p < .001). Divorced or widowed marital status was positively associated with QWL (β = .172, p = .004), whereas working nonstandard shifts (β = -.127, p = .044), higher educational level (β = -.144, p = .020), older age (β = -.148, p = .049), and employment in certain departments (β = -.175, p = .010) were negatively associated with QWL. CONCLUSION: Empathy plays a significant and meaningful role in enhancing nurses' quality of work life, functioning as a key psychosocial resource within challenging healthcare environments. Organizational strategies that promote stable work scheduling, professional role alignment, and empathy-oriented development may contribute to improving occupational well-being and sustaining high-quality patient care.