Self-reported work-related accumulative fatigue of nurses: A cross-sectional study in public hospitals in China

ObjectivesWork-related fatigue is a serious safety risk to nurses and their patients. This study aimed to assess self-reported work-related accumulative fatigue of nurses and its associated factors. MethodsA questionnaire survey of 2,918 clinical nurses conveniently sampled from 48 public hospitals across six provinces in China was conducted. The Self-diagnosis Checklist for Assessment of Workers' Accumulated Fatigue was adopted to assess the level of work-related accumulative fatigue of the study participants. Chi-square tests and ordinal regression analyses were performed to determine the sociodemographic characteristics associated with work-related accumulative fatigue. ResultsAbout one third of respondents reported low work-related accumulative fatigue, compared with 23.1% reporting high and 24.6% reporting very high levels of work-related accumulative fatigue. Higher levels of work-related accumulative fatigue were associated with female gender (AOR = 0.614 for male relative to female, p = 0.005), age between 30 and 40 years (AOR = 1.346 relative to >40 years, p = 0.034), 5-10 years of work experience (AOR = 1.277 relative to >10 years, p = 0.034), and bachelor or above degree qualifications (AOR = 0.806 for associate degree relative to bachelor or above degree, p = 0.007). Those who worked in rural county hospitals (AOR = 0.816 for metropolitan relative to rural county hospitals, p = 0.006) and resided in central China (AOR = 1.276 relative to western China, p = 0.004) had higher odds of reporting higher levels of work-related accumulative fatigue. ConclusionHigh levels of work-related accumulative fatigue are evident in nurses of public hospitals in China. The problem is more serious in the female nurses in their mid-career and those who worked in the central region and rural setting.

Automated summary

This study examined work-related accumulative fatigue and its associated factors among nurses in public hospitals in China. The results showed that about one third of the nurses reported low levels of work-related accumulative fatigue, with higher levels of fatigue found among female nurses, those aged 30-40 years, those with 5-10 years of work experience, and those with a bachelor's degree or above. Nurses working in rural county hospitals and those residing in central China also had higher odds of experiencing higher levels of work-related accumulative fatigue.