The Impact of 12 h Night Shifts on Nurses’ Driving Safety
| Autor: | Stephen Michael James, Lois James |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2023 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Nursing Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 436-444 (2023) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 2039-4403 2039-439X |
| DOI: | 10.3390/nursrep13010040 |
| Popis: | Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of 12 h day vs. 12 h night shift-accumulated fatigue on nurses’ driving safety. Background: Evidence across industries links work-related fatigue with errors, accidents, and adverse long-term health outcomes. Shifts of 12 h or longer are particularly problematic, and the potential risks to shift-worker driving safety during their post-shift commute home have yet to be fully explored. Methods: This study used a between-groups, repeated-measures non-randomized control trial. Forty-four nurses working 12 h day shifts and 49 nurses working 12 h night shifts were tested in a driving simulator on two separate occasions—once immediately following their third consecutive 12 h hospital shift and once on their third consecutive day (72 h) off work. Results: We found that night shift nurses had significantly greater lane deviation during the post-shift drive home compared to day shift nurses, which is a key indicator of collision risk, demonstrating impaired driving safety. Conclusions: Consecutive 12 h night shifts are an extremely popular shift for nurses working in the hospital setting, however they pose a significant driving safety risk to nurses assigned to night shifts. This study provides objective evidence of the impact of shift work-related fatigue on 12 h night shift nurse safety, allowing us to make recommendations that may help prevent injury or death from motor vehicle collisions. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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