ST3002 Competency Discussion Question 

ST3002 Correlation and Regression

Simple linear regression involves the relationship of two variables, such as predicting weight based on height. Multiple linear regression relates three or more variables together in a linear model to make predictions. For example, calories consumed, minutes exercised, and hours slept all might be included in a model to predict weight loss. Consider the difference between simple linear regression and multiple linear regression to address the following:

1. Provide two variables in your personal or professional life that you believe are correlated and explain why you believe there is a correlation.
2. Explain if this correlation is positive or negative and why you believe this.
3. Do you believe the correlation between these variables indicates the change in one variable is causing the change in the other? Why or why not?

ST3002 Competency Discussion Answer

As a nurse, I have noticed a correlation between the number of hours worked per shift and the level of fatigue experienced (Aslan et al., 2022). The exhaustion experienced by nurses who work twelve-hour shifts typically exceeds the fatigue experienced by nurses on eight-hour shifts. A positive relationship exists between work hours and fatigue since both variables tend to increase together. More fatigue among nurses appears to stem from working longer shifts because this generates increased physical activity and emotional stress with less available rest periods (Aslan et al., 2022). Myself and colleagues in nursing practice have noticed this pattern during our regular shifts.

An apparent strong relationship exists between work hours and fatigue but I do not think additional hours directly produce fatigue. Multiple work-related factors including the severity of patient cases together with staff allocations, break frequencies, and unit conditions operate as independent causes that affect nurse fatigue. Simple linear regression will not provide as much value as multiple linear regression to study the relationship between nurse fatigue and work hours in this situation (Pourteimour et al., 2021). The analysis method enables us to observe how multiple variables affect nurse fatigue thereby delivering a complete picture of fatigue causes within healthcare settings. The evaluation of various contributing factors demands immediate attention because it helps both nurse welfare and healthcare shift scheduling policy development.

References

Aslan, H., Erci, B., & Pekince, H. (2022). Relationship between compassion fatigue in nurses, and work-related stress and the meaning of life. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(3), 1848-1860.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01142-0

Pourteimour, S., Yaghmaei, S., & Babamohamadi, H. (2021). The relationship between mental workload and job performance among Iranian nurses providing care to COVID‐19 patients: A cross‐sectional study. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(6), 1723-1732. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13305