Occupational fatigue, compassion competence and caring behaviours of intensive care nurses: A structural equation modelling approach

Background: No previous study has examined the direct effect of occupational fatigue, inter-shift recovery and compassion competence on caring behaviours, including assurance, knowledge-skill, respect and commitment in intensive care nurses.Aim: We studied the direct effect of participating nurses' occupational fatigue, inter-shift recovery and compassion competence levels on their caring behaviours and the relationship among these variables.Study Design: This was a descriptive correlational study. All nurses who were registered members of the Turkish Intensive Care Nurses Association were invited to participate in this online survey. This study was conducted with 315 intensive care nurses using convenience sampling between April and July 2022. The data were collected using the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery Scale, which consists of three subscales: acute fatigue, chronic fatigue and inter-shift recovery; the Compassion Competence Scale, including communication, sensitivity and insight subscales; and the Caring Behaviours Inventory-24. In addition, a structural equation model was established using variables correlating with caring behaviours. Independent variables were occupational fatigue, inter-ship recovery and compassion competence; and the dependent variable was caring behaviours in this hypothesized model.Results: Three hundred and fifteen nurses completed the survey (315/1000) with a response rate of 31.5%. The increase in the inter-shift recovery levels of participants was statistically and positively associated with caring behaviours (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.001-0.011, beta = .154 [moderate effect size], p < .05). The sub-dimensions of the Compassion Competence Scale, that is, communication (95% CI: 0.110-0.443, beta = .251 [moderate effect size]) and sensitivity (95% CI: 0.084-0.427, beta = .241 [moderate effect size]), were statistically and positively associated with the caring behaviours of participants (p < .05). In addition, independent variables accounted for 35% (large effect size) of the total change in caring behaviours (R2 = 0.350).Conclusions: This study suggests that the high inter-shift recovery and compassion competence levels of intensive care nurses are positively associated with their caring behaviours.Relevance to Clinical PracticeNursing managers should consider the direct effect of occupational fatigue, inter-shift recovery and the compassion competence levels of intensive care nurses on their caring behaviours to provide high-quality care.