Enhancing Patient Safety Through Predictors of Job Performance in Greek Critical Care Nurses

Background/Objectives: Job performance among critical care nurses is a pivotal determinant of patient safety. While individual psychosocial factors such as self-care and self-compassion have been separately linked to professional efficacy, limited research has examined their integrated contribution to job performance in high-stakes healthcare environments. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five public hospitals in Northern Greece. A convenience sample of 311 critical care nurses and nurse assistants completed validated self-report measures assessing self-care, self-compassion, mindfulness, physical activity, secondary traumatic stress, and job performance. The data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics and multivariate linear regression. Results: Higher levels of self-care (p = 0.003) and self-compassion (p = 0.042), and lower levels of secondary traumatic stress (p = 0.04), were significantly associated with better job performance. The final regression model explained 31% of the variance in performance scores (R² = 0.31). Mindfulness and physical activity were not significantly associated with job performance. Secondary traumatic stress emerged as the strongest negative predictor. Conclusions: Internal psychosocial resources, particularly self-care and self-compassion, significantly contribute to job performance among critical care nursing personnel. These findings underscore the relevance of embedding staff well-being strategies into organizational patient safety agendas. This multidimensional model provides a novel framework for developing targeted interventions in high-acuity healthcare settings.