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Job characteristics in nursing and cognitive failure at work
Achim Elfering1, Simone Grebner, Anna Dudan
1Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Safety and Health at Work
|September 7, 2012
Summary
Task-related stressors in nursing are linked to increased cognitive failures, impacting patient safety. Job redesign should focus on reducing these stressors for better nurse performance.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- High demands on cognitive control in nursing due to stressors can increase the risk of cognitive failures.
- Cognitive failures in nurses can pose risks to patient safety.
- Understanding the relationship between job characteristics and cognitive failure is crucial for improving healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between task-related stressors, job control, and cognitive failure at work among nurses.
- To validate a German version of the Workplace Cognitive Failure Scale (WCFS) for use in nursing research.
- To examine the influence of individual differences (neuroticism, conscientiousness) on cognitive failure in the nursing context.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-six registered nurses from 11 Swiss hospitals participated.
- The German version of the Workplace Cognitive Failure Scale (WCFS) was used to measure memory, attention, and action failures.
- Linear regression analyses were conducted to relate WCFS scores to work characteristics and personality traits.
Main Results:
- The German WCFS demonstrated validity and reliability, replicating the original factorial structure.
- Task-related stressors were significantly associated with attention control and action exertion failures.
- Conscientiousness was also significantly related to attention control and action exertion.
Conclusions:
- Job characteristics, specifically task-related stressors, are uniquely associated with cognitive failure in nursing, even after controlling for personality traits.
- These findings highlight the importance of addressing job design in nursing to mitigate cognitive failures.
- Recommendations include job redesign focusing on reducing task stressors to enhance nurse performance and patient safety.
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