Reduced alertness as a consequence of rotating shift patterns puts safe care delivery at risk

Commentary on: Min A, Hong HC, Son S, et al, Alertness during working hours among eight-hour rotating-shift nurses: an observational study. J Nurs Scholar 2021;75. doi:10.1111/JNU.12743 Implications for practice and research Organisational measures to implement alertness are necessary to safeguard patient care and staff well-being. Further research is needed in order to optimise shift design and develop suitable countermeasures for all shift-working healthcare professional. Context Increasing evidence suggests that shift-pattern generated fatigue in nurses can impair their ability to offer high-quality care to patients. Nevertheless, to guarantee 24-hour care, most healthcare professionals (HP) must comply with shift-working. Specifically, rotating-shifts are more likely to cause a decreased alertness and increased tiredness effect on HP due to continuous changes in their sleep patterns. As the consequences of sleep deprivation are comparable to those of blood alcohol concentrations of 0.05%–0.1%, Min et al used objective metrics to...
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Nursing issues Commentary Source Type: research