Effects of sleep quality and fatigue on nursing performance in intensive care settings

Nursing is a profession that requires high levels of attention, sound judgment and quick responses, particularly in emergency settings. Fatigue causes reduced attention, lower physical capacity, irritability, forgetfulness and communication difficulties and therefore negatively affects nursing performance.

To investigate how sleep quality and fatigue affect the performance of nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) and critical cardiac units (CCUs) at government hospitals in the West Bank, Palestine.

A descriptive cross-sectional survey study design was used. A total of 121 nurses employed in four hospitals in the West Bank responded to a self-administered questionnaire, which involved completing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Nursing Performance Instrument (NPI).

The results showed that 79% of participants had poor sleep quality and 50% of participants experienced fatigue. Poor sleep quality and fatigue negatively affected nursing performance. Fatigue affected mental performance more than physical performance.

Given the risks involved for nurses and patients when nurses working in intensive care settings experience poor sleep quality and fatigue, healthcare organisations need to take measures to address these issues.