A national cross-sectional study on latent profile analysis of occupational fatigue among Chinese nurses in the early post-COVID-19 era

Occupational fatigue is a widespread condition within the nursing workforce, adversely affecting both nurses' health and patient safety. The protracted duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, approaching 3 years, has exacerbated the challenges faced by nurses globally. The escalation in patient numbers and the high incidence of infections among healthcare workers have intensified occupational fatigue. This study seeks to explore the enduring impact of the pandemic on occupational fatigue among Chinese nurses through a latent profile analysis, and to identify the associated risk factors. A comprehensive survey was conducted involving 2,140 nurses from 186 hospitals across China during the initial phase of the post-COVID-19 era. The primary instruments utilized for data collection were the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire. Three distinct profiles of occupational fatigue were identified: a low fatigue/high recovery group (18.6%), a moderate fatigue/moderate recovery group (48.8%), and a high fatigue/low recovery group (32.6%). The vast majority of nurses reported experiencing moderate to high levels of occupational fatigue during the early stage of the post-coronavirus era. Significant predictors for membership in these fatigue profiles included marital status, possession of a master's degree or higher, working over five night shifts per month, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and exhibiting higher scores in extrinsic effort and overcommitment. Chinese nurses exhibit a relatively high level of occupational fatigue in the early post-COVID-19 era, likely influenced by various socio-demographic and work-related factors. It is imperative to develop targeted interventions aimed at alleviating fatigue among specific groups of nurses to effectively address the challenges posed by occupational fatigue in the face of future public health disasters.