Chronic Fatigue Predicts Hospital Nurse Turnover Intentions

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the impact of workforce engagement factors on hospital nurse turnover intentions. BACKGROUND Nurse turnover intentions are impacted by occupational fatigue and burnout, which are differentially impacted by fatigue, meaning and joy in work, and work-related resilience. METHODS One hundred fifty-one nurses from a southwestern hospital completed online surveys. Path analyses evaluated relationships among variables. RESULTS Chronic occupational fatigue was the only significant predictor of turnover intentions among nurses. Although strongly associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (burnout components), burnout did not predict turnover intention. High levels of chronic fatigue predicted lower meaning and joy in work and lower work-related resilience. Although significantly correlated, meaning and joy in work and resilience did not predict total burnout scores when analyzed in causal models. CONCLUSIONS Nurse administrators should focus efforts on factors such as chronic occupational fatigue that are likely to impact nurses' decisions to leave their positions.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Psychological Resilience of Emergency Room Nurses Under Public Health Emergencies

“…The associated stress frequently leads to fatigue, and chronic fatigue has been previously shown to predict lower work resilience in nurses. 42 The feeling of helpless and fear, as well as physical exhaustion all reduced ER nurses’ ability to cope with the changing environment in a public health emergency. The analysis of the present study revealed that fatigue also played a crucial part in psychological resilience in ER nurses.…”

Examining the Relationship Between Nurse Fatigue, Alertness, and Medication Errors

“…[17][18][19][20] Multiple studies have evaluated predictors of nurse fatigue and its relationship with various nurse and patient outcomes. These studies have consistently linked nurse fatigue to a range of negative outcomes, such as drowsy driving, [21][22][23] decision regret, 13 medication errors, 5 turnover intentions, 24 needlestick injuries, 25 sickness absences, 26,27 and nurses' mental health. 28 Although scholars have proposed that fatigue may diminish nurses' alertness, 8,10,[14][15][16] empirical evidence exploring this relationship remains limited.…”

Stress at Work and Well-being Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The key indicator examined for employees' mental health and well-being is emotional exhaustion, which is a well-established indicator of ill health, 47 with strong associations with depression 48,49 and chronic fatigue. 50,51 Additional indicators of health and well-being were depressive symptoms, 52,53 irritation, a high arousal-negative affect variable, 54,55 somatic health complaints, 56,57 subjective health, a variable that has been shown to predict mortality, 58,59 sleep problems, [60][61][62][63] and job satisfaction, an attitudinal variable that can also be regarded as an indicator of health. [64][65][66] Given the lack of knowledge concerning the development of conditions at work in general since the beginning of the pandemic, the current analyses have a strong descriptive focus, documenting the development of stressors and resources and well-being for the sample as a whole and for a number of subsamples (eg, women).…”

“…The key indicator examined for employees’ mental health and well-being is emotional exhaustion, which is a well-established indicator of ill health, 47 with strong associations with depression 48,49 and chronic fatigue 50,51 . Additional indicators of health and well-being were depressive symptoms, 52,53 irritation, a high arousal–negative affect variable, 54,55 somatic health complaints, 56,57 subjective health, a variable that has been shown to predict mortality, 58,59 sleep problems, 60–63 and job satisfaction, an attitudinal variable that can also be regarded as an indicator of health 64–66 …”