Nurses' occupational fatigue exhaustion levels and assessment of pressure ulcer management self-efficacy

Occupational fatigue exhaustion constitute a widespread issue among nurses, impacting their personal, social, and professional lives. Nurses' self-efficacy in pressure injury management contributes to the prevention of pressure injuries, consequently enhancing the quality of healthcare services. This study aimed to investigate the impact of nurses' levels of occupational fatigue exhaustion on their self-efficacy in pressure injury management through descriptive and correlational analysis. A total of 682 nurses voluntarily participated, including those from a training and research hospital and a foundation university hospital in Istanbul, as well as wound care and stoma nurses nationwide. Data were collected using sociodemographic questionnaires, the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale, and the Pressure Ulcer Management Self-Efficacy Scale. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskall-Wallis, Spearman's correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis using NCSS 2007 software. The findings revealed moderate to high levels of chronic and acute fatigue, with slightly above-average recovery scores. The mean score for Pressure Injury Management Self-Efficacy was below average. Significant differences in nurses' levels of occupational fatigue exhaustion were observed based on gender, work schedule, career choice, sleep quality, and personal time availability (p<0.05). Additionally, nurses' self-efficacy in pressure injury management varied significantly based on education level, job position, certification in wound care and ostomy nursing, receiving education on pressure injuries, and keeping up with advancements in pressure injury care (p<0.05). A positive and statistically significant relationship was found between knowledge of pressure injuries and self-efficacy in pressure injury management. Overall, these results suggest that addressing occupational fatigue exhaustion among nurses is crucial for improving their self-efficacy in pressure injury management, thereby potentially leading to significant enhancements in clinical outcomes and the quality of healthcare services.