Background: Front-line nurses caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience stressful and traumatic working conditions, which may affect their professional quality of life.

Aim: To identify the effect of COVID-19 on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life, specifically on their levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was adopted. Data collection tools included self-reported sociodemographic and work-related characteristics and the self-report Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). Questionnaires (n=200) were distributed by email to two groups of nurses working in a government hospital in Saudi Arabia: front-line nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19 in isolation units; and front-line nurses who cared for patients without COVID-19 in inpatient units.

Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 167 respondents, a response rate of 84%. Moderate levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress were found regardless of respondents’ involvement in caring for patients with COVID-19. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new challenge for front-line nurses, necessitating appropriate interventions to avoid burnout and secondary traumatic stress.