Nursing Work Environment and Job Stress of Nurses: Effects on Job Performance of Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates factors that influence the nursing performance of nurses in the intensive care unit(ICU). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional research design enrolling 118 ICU nurses who had worked 3 months or longer at a single general hospital. The data were analyzed with independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression. Results: The nursing job performance of participants positively correlated with the nursing work environment (r=.60, p<.001) and nurses’ job stress (r=-.43, p<.001). The nusing work environment (β=.31, p=.002) and nurses’ job stress (β=.20, p=.004) had a significant effect on nursing performance and accounted for 36.0% of the total variance. Conclusion: These results indicate that adequate administrative and financial support is required for improving the nursing work environment and managing the job stress of ICU nurses.