LAUSR

BACKGROUND Although many studies have discussed nurses' caring performance, few have focussed on critical care nurses. Also, none have studied this among newly graduated nurses despite their very different circumstances. AIM The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units. METHOD A descriptive cross-sectional design, using self-reported questionnaires, was used among a sample of 209 nurses interviewed in Jordanian hospitals. The Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale was used for measuring work-related stress and the Caring Behaviours Assessment tool to assess caring performance. Data collection was conducted from March to May 2018. RESULTS The participants had moderate levels of caring performance (M = 182.6/315, SD = 15.46). The highest score was reported for 'Supportive/Protective/Corrective Environment' subscale, while the lowest for 'Teaching/Learning' subscale. Many significant differences were noticed in caring performance based on participants' demographics. Only working in private hospitals was a significant predictor for caring performance (P < .05) predicting 14% of variance. CONCLUSION Caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units was affected by many factors including workload, self-doubt, income and area of working. The significance was flagged of developing nursing policies concerned with stress relief and improvement of caring performance.