Workplace bullying, occupational burnout, work–life imbalance and perceived medical errors among nurses in Oman: A cluster analysis

Aim: To explore whether different profiles exist in a cohort of nurses regarding demographic and occupational outcomes. Background: Nurses will face many occupational problems, including workplace bullying, work–life imbalance, burnout and medical errors. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 232 nurses working in a hospital in Oman. Data were collected from December 2018 to April 2019 using convenience sampling. Instruments included work–life balance questions, the Negative Acts questionnaire-revised questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index. Cluster analysis, t test, chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used for data analysis. Results: Cluster 1 (n = 108) was characterized as ‘low-risk on medical error, burnout and workplace bullying but high-risk in work–life imbalance’ group. Cluster 2 (n = 124) was labelled as ‘high-risk on medical error, work–life imbalance, burnout and workplace buying’ group. Conclusions: Two groups of nurses in Oman are facing occupational problems differently. Nurses in Cluster 1 need attention to work–life imbalance. However, nurses in Cluster 2 need attention on all occupational problems. Implications for Nursing Management: Findings call on the nursing stakeholders in Oman to identify factors related to occupational problems, to provide consultation services to reduce inter-personnel conflicts, and to review nurses' working hours to avoid burnout and resume a balanced work–life.