Chun-Fen Zhou1, Jin-Bo Fang2. 1. Faculty of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, PRC. 2. Department of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, PRC. fangjinbo1107@126.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Occupational fatigue in nurses has earned much attention in recent years. This phenomenon affects the health of nurses and threatens the safety of patients. However, few studies have reported on the correlation between job characteristics and occupational fatigue in China. PURPOSE: The present study describes the nursing job characteristics and nursing occupational fatigue situation at general hospitals in Chengdu in China and explores the correlations between job characteristics and occupational fatigue. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlation design with systematic sampling was used to recruit 923 nurses from general hospitals in Chengdu. The structural questionnaires used in this study included a personal data-sheet, Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale (OFER), and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Mean, percentage, independent t test, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to analyze data. RESULTS: Nurses' acute fatigue level and chronic fatigue level were high, with average scores of 60.30 ± 22.02 and 46.44 ± 23.33, respectively. All dimensions (with the exception of colleague support) correlated significantly with job characteristics and occupational fatigue. Job control, job demand, and amount of shiftwork were important predictors of both acute fatigue and chronic fatigue. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of the study may help the managers better understand the current situation of nurses' occupational fatigue and formulate effective measures that consider the individual characteristics of nurses and the differences in perceived job control and job demand. Furthermore, the results may help nurses better assess the causes of their work-related fatigue and facilitate coping measures in order to reduce acute and chronic fatigue.
BACKGROUND:Occupational fatigue in nurses has earned much attention in recent years. This phenomenon affects the health of nurses and threatens the safety of patients. However, few studies have reported on the correlation between job characteristics and occupational fatigue in China. PURPOSE: The present study describes the nursing job characteristics and nursing occupational fatigue situation at general hospitals in Chengdu in China and explores the correlations between job characteristics and occupational fatigue. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlation design with systematic sampling was used to recruit 923 nurses from general hospitals in Chengdu. The structural questionnaires used in this study included a personal data-sheet, Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale (OFER), and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Mean, percentage, independent t test, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to analyze data. RESULTS: Nurses' acute fatigue level and chronic fatigue level were high, with average scores of 60.30 ± 22.02 and 46.44 ± 23.33, respectively. All dimensions (with the exception of colleague support) correlated significantly with job characteristics and occupational fatigue. Job control, job demand, and amount of shiftwork were important predictors of both acute fatigue and chronic fatigue. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of the study may help the managers better understand the current situation of nurses' occupational fatigue and formulate effective measures that consider the individual characteristics of nurses and the differences in perceived job control and job demand. Furthermore, the results may help nurses better assess the causes of their work-related fatigue and facilitate coping measures in order to reduce acute and chronic fatigue.