The impact of intensive and critical care nursing competence on individual work performance

The present cross-sectional and descriptive study examines the impact of intensive and critical care competence on the individual work performance of nurses. Included in the study were 210 nurses working in the intensive care units of three different public hospitals on the Anatolian side of İstanbul. The study data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale (ICCN-CS-1) and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). The garnered data were subjected to descriptive statistics, an independent samples t-test, one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analyses, a Durbin-Watson test and regression analyses. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, and the results were interpreted within a 95% confidence interval (CI). The mean total score on the ICCN-CS-1 measuring the competence levels of the respondent nurses was 481.03±46.48, corresponding to an "excellent" classification, while the mean score from the IWPQ was 3.98±0.56, indicating a high individual work performance level. The study findings suggest that competence levels have a significant impact on the work performance of individuals (p <0.001), with knowledge base (β = 0.64; p <0.001), total ICCN-CS-1 score (β = 0.60; p <0.001) and skill base (β = 0.58; p < 0.001) being identified as the most significant predictors. A positive and statistically significant correlation was noted between the competence levels and work performance of the respondent nurses, with the strongest association observed between contextual performance and knowledge base (p<0.01). The findings of the present study suggest that higher competence levels among nurses are associated with enhanced individual work performance. It can thus be recommended that healthcare institutions develop continuous professional development programmes to increase the competence levels of their nursing staff.