The Mechanism Of ICU Nurse Job Crafting On Work Fatigue Based On The Job Demands-Resources Model

Background:ICU nurses play an important role in the healthcare system,providing high-quality nursing services to critically ill patients.The high intensity and high work stress may result in work fatigue and health problems,which have drawn widespread attention both domestically and internationally.Job crafting based on the job demandsresources model has been proven to be an effective way to reduce work fatigue among ICU nurses.Objective:To describe the work characteristics,work fatigue,and job crafting status of ICU nurses in China;to construct a path analysis model of work characteristics,job crafting,and work fatigue based on the job demands-resources model,and to analyze the mechanism of job crafting on work fatigue.Methods:An explanatory sequential mixed methods research was adopted.In the quantitative research phase,convenience sampling was used to collect data from 300 adult ICU nurses in tertiary grade A hospitals in Beijing from January 2022 to December,using general demographic questionnaires,Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire,General Self-Efficacy Scale,the Self-Resilience Scale,Job Crafting Scale,and Psychomotor Vigilance Test(PVT-192)for subjective and objective measurements.SPSS 24.0 was used for descriptive statistics,correlation analysis,and univariate analysis,and AMOS software was used to construct a path analysis model of the effect of job crafting on work fatigue.In the qualitative research phase,based on the results of the quantitative research data analysis,an interview guide was developed,and ICU nurses were divided into four groups based on levels of work fatigue.Three participants were selected from each group using purposive sampling method for semi-structured interviews,and NVIVO was used for qualitative data analysis.Finally,the data from the quantitative and qualitative research were integrated to interpret the mechanism of the model in depth.Results:A total of 300 ICU nurses were included in the quantitative research,with an average age of 29.87±4.90 years,and 90%were female.Median scores of quantitative demands,emotional demands,and work-family conflict dimensions in job demands were 43.75,41.67,and 33.3.Median scores of organizational commitment,job predictability,job recognition,and colleague support dimensions in job resources were 75,50,75,75.In personal resources,Self-efficacy score was 27.37±5.83,and self-resilience score was 39.8±7.88.Median scores of day shift work fatigue and night shift work fatigue were 17.5 and 21.Score of job crafting scale was 78.48±12.33,with the scores of the increased structural resources,decreased hindering demands,increased social resources,and increased challenging resources dimensions being 21.37±3.19,22.67±4.12,18.12±3.76,and 16.31±4.28,respectively.In the qualitative research,analysis of the interview data from 12 ICU nurses resulted in five themes:high job demands,the importance of job resources support,individual differences in personal resources,the current status of job crafting,and expectations and needs for job resources.Conclusion:Job crafting has a certain alleviating effect on work fatigue among ICU nurses,especially during day shifts.Managers should encourage job crafting among ICU nurses and provide various support measures,which can help ICU nurses reduce work fatigue,and promote their well-being.It is worth noting that the effects of job crafting on work fatigue for ICU nurses may vary between day shifts and night shifts.When developing relevant policies and measures,different coping strategies should be formulated based on the different work characteristics of day shifts and night shifts,taking into consideration the individual needs and opinions of ICU nurses,in order to maximize the alleviating effect of job crafting on ICU nurses’ work fatigue.