Twelve Hour Shifts
Impacts of Twelve Hour vs. Eight Hour Shifts on Patient Safety
Impacts of Twelve Hour Shifts vs. Eight Hour Shifts on Patient Safety Nurses usually work twelve hour shifts and it has become a common policy of shift rotation in majority of hospitals and other health-care facilities in United States and it is also being followed in several countries all over the world. When compared, there are several advantages and disadvantages for the patients and also for the nurses on both shift policies. Nursing itself is a stressful profession. Towards the end of a long hour shift nurses can be physically and mentally tired and less focused. Long hour shifts increases the stress level and causes burnout, fatigue, and it can also affect patient safety.
This research will evaluate the effects of long hour shifts and short hour shift on patient care and also its impact on the nurses. Surveys were done among patients and nurses in the different units of the same hospital where long hour shifts and short hours shifts are employed. Surveys were also done on floors where long hour shifts and short hour shifts were employed at different point of time to see how patient responded to questions on the kind of care they received. The outcome of the research give indications suggesting what kind of shifts will be better for safe patient care.
Statement of Purpose In health care system patient safety and satisfaction has to be given priority. Patient outcome is related to the quality of care given by the nurses and other health care providers. The patients are at risk if nurses get burned out, as there are possibilities that nurses can make errors in medication administration and other areas of care. The nurses’ shifts usually do not end in exact timing as it depends on the acuity of the patients and the time taken during the shift change handover report. Evidenced based studies show that “while the 12-hour work day has
Impacts of Twelve Hour Shifts vs. Eight Hour Shifts on Patient Safety Nurses usually work twelve hour shifts and it has become a common policy of shift rotation in majority of hospitals and other health-care facilities in United States and it is also being followed in several countries all over the world. When compared, there are several advantages and disadvantages for the patients and also for the nurses on both shift policies. Nursing itself is a stressful profession. Towards the end of a long hour shift nurses can be physically and mentally tired and less focused. Long hour shifts increases the stress level and causes burnout, fatigue, and it can also affect patient safety.
This research will evaluate the effects of long hour shifts and short hour shift on patient care and also its impact on the nurses. Surveys were done among patients and nurses in the different units of the same hospital where long hour shifts and short hours shifts are employed. Surveys were also done on floors where long hour shifts and short hour shifts were employed at different point of time to see how patient responded to questions on the kind of care they received. The outcome of the research give indications suggesting what kind of shifts will be better for safe patient care.
Statement of Purpose In health care system patient safety and satisfaction has to be given priority. Patient outcome is related to the quality of care given by the nurses and other health care providers. The patients are at risk if nurses get burned out, as there are possibilities that nurses can make errors in medication administration and other areas of care. The nurses’ shifts usually do not end in exact timing as it depends on the acuity of the patients and the time taken during the shift change handover report. Evidenced based studies show that “while the 12-hour work day has
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