Personality traits affect critical care nursing competence: A multicentre cross-sectional study.

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship between personality traits and critical care nursing competence among critical care nurses. Research methodology/design Multicentre cross-sectional survey using a self-report questionnaire and path modelling, from August 2017 to December 2018. Setting Six intensive care units in Japan. Main outcome measures We assessed relationships among the Big Five personality traits and four critical care nursing competencies in nurses. Findings We included 211 nurses (77.7% women, 59.2% in their 20 s); 62.6% had 1–5 years’ critical care nursing experience. Among the four competencies, principles of nursing care had a direct positive effect on decision-making (0.77, p  Conclusion Nursing competence in the critical care setting is affected by personality traits. Our findings can be applied in nursing education to improve competence based on individual personality traits.