Determinants of nurses' job performance: the interaction of perceived occupational stress, psychological safety, and digital fatigue

Abstract

Background This study aims to determine nurses' perceptions of occupational stress, digital fatigue, psychological safety, and job performance, and to examine the mediating role of digital fatigue in the effect of occupational stress and psychological safety on job performance. Methods The study was conducted using a cross-sectional research design. The study population consisted of nurses working at a public hospital in Samsun province. Data were collected through an online survey and random sampling method. A total of 477 valid survey forms were evaluated in the analyses. Results In the structural equation model, the first model revealed that occupational stress has a direct negative effect on job performance (beta = -0.189, p < 0.001), digital fatigue significantly reduces job performance (beta = -0.247, p < 0.05), and it plays a partial mediating role in this relationship; this model explains 23.9% of the variance in job performance (R-2 = 0.239). In the second model, it was found that psychological safety directly positively affects job performance (beta = 0.246, p < 0.001), digital fatigue has a negative effect (beta = -0.201, p < 0.001), and it plays a partial mediating role in the effect of psychological safety on job performance; This model explains 18.8% of the variance (R-2 = 0.188). Conclusion The findings show that digital fatigue and occupational stress reduce nurses' job performance, whereas psychological safety enhances performance. Furthermore, digital fatigue plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between occupational stress, psychological safety, and job performance, emerging as a structural element in occupational functioning. These results reveal that organizational strategies such as supportive leadership, stress management programs, and the development of user-friendly digital infrastructure are critical in reducing digital burnout among nurses, thereby improving job performance and, consequently, the quality of patient care.