Quality of life and working conditions in intensive care. What do young people think?

Abstract

Quality of working life (QWL) has emerged as a major concern among young professionals, with increasing emphasis on work–life integration and mental health preservation.

Intensive care medicine is characterized by sustained decisional pressure, emotional burden, and continuous exposure to life-threatening situations, placing physicians at high risk of psychosocial stressors from the early stages of residency.

We conducted a national retrospective survey between December 2025 and January 2026 among young intensivists (n = 62) to assess perceived QWL and its psychological impact. The mean QWL score was 6.5/10. Lower QWL was primarily associated with excessive workload, high frequency of on-call shifts, and impaired work–life balance. A substantial prevalence of mental health symptoms was reported, with 70% of respondents experiencing burnout-related symptoms.

Beyond workload and extended duty hours, several structural determinants of QWL warrant attention, including weekend scheduling, frequent task interruptions, and insufficient material resources. Additionally, emerging concerns such as eco-anxiety—reported as particularly salient among younger intensivists—and the specific constraints of residency training offer new insights into contemporary mental health challenges in critical care.

These findings highlight the urgent need for organizational strategies targeting work structure, duty-hour models, and preventive mental health interventions to ensure the sustainability and attractiveness of intensive care careers in 2026 and beyond.