The Quiet Quitting Phenomenon Among Physiotherapists

NCT07237815 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 699 CET
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 94
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted all aspects of human life. Health work professsions have faced the risk of infection, adverse working conditions, physical and verbal violence, disparities in workload and payment, limitations to attend social activities, and disruption in work-life balance for a long time. The inadequacy of attempts to solve the issues caused them to change their work attitudes and behaviours, highlighting the ongoing need for a healthier work-life balance. In this context, a new trend known as 'quiet quitting' has emerged. This concept represents a notable workplace phenomenon, especially in settings with high demands and intense workloads. Quiet quitting refers to a situation where employees perform only the minimum requirements of their job description, refraining from any extra effort, innovation, or contribution beyond the bare minimum. Employees who begin the process of quiet quitting may exhibit behaviours such as leaving the workplace early, arriving at work late, refusing to engage in work outside working hours, demonstrating a lack of interest in assisting coworkers, and resisting going above and beyond minimum job duties. Individuals who are in the process of quiet quitting are emotionally detached from their jobs. This is a factor that profoundly impacts healthcare services. Although the quiet quitting process, which results in reduced productivity, increased employee turnover and decreased work quality, as well as negative consequences for patient safety and satisfaction, helps employees avoid burnout, it can jeopardize their career advancement. Furthermore, lower levels of job satisfaction appear to be associated with higher levels of quiet quitting among employees.

Conditions

Quiet Quitting

Keywords

job satisfaction; lack of initiative; lack of motivation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Quiet quitting phenomenon

  1\. Quiet quitting phenomenon This study aims to investigate and explore the phenomenon of 'quiet quitting' within the healthcare rehabilitation sector, with a specific focus on physiotherapy personnel employed in hospital settings. The Quiet Quitting Scale (QQS) was administered in the third section. It is an instrument developed by Galanis et al. (2023a) to assess the phenomenon of quiet quitting. The scale consists of nine items organized into three factors: detachment (4 items), lack of initiative (3 items), and lack of motivation (2 items). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Interpretation of the mean score is straightforward: a value above 2.06 is used as a cut-off to indicate the presence of behaviors and attitudes associated with quiet quitting among professionals. Regarding the instrument's quality, the QQS was selected for its sound psychometric properties.

  baseline

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Job satisfaction

  baseline

Study Arms (1)

Single arm

Questionnaire

Other: Questionnaire

Interventions

Questionnaire OTHER

The questionnaire consists of three sections, structured as follows: The introductory section is dedicated to verifying compliance with the inclusion criteria, which include: age of 18 years or older, and the provision of informed consent to participate in the study. Following these three initial questions, four additional items are included to collect basic demographic and occupational information from participants: gender, age group, years of work experience, level of education, and primary work setting. The second section comprises the items from the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS). This assessment tool has already been validated in its Italian version through the study conducted by Platania and collaborators. The third section of the questionnaire is dedicated to the Quiet Quitting Scale (QQS), which includes nine items grouped into three latent factors: • detachment (4 items) • lack of initiative (3 items) • lack of motivation (2 items)

Single arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Physiotherapist who work in the Veneto region (Italy) in all settings.

You may qualify if:

• Physiotherapists
• Aged 18 years or older
• Both genders

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of mental or physical conditions affecting the ability to understand or complete the questionnaire

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Regione del Veneto - AULSS n. 7 Pedemontana: lead

Study Sites (1)

ULSS 7 Pedemontana

Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, 36061, Italy

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CROSSOVER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator - PT, MSC, Adjunct Professor at the University of Padua

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 19, 2025
• First Posted: November 20, 2025
• Study Start: October 23, 2025
• Primary Completion: November 12, 2025
• Study Completion: November 14, 2025
• Last Updated: November 20, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (1)