Nurse Burnout (Coursework Sample)

Nurse Burnout (Sleep Deprivation and Shift Work)
Name
Institution
Date
Nurse Burnout (Sleep Deprivation and Shift Work)
Clinical Question
Problem Description
One of the major problems that nurses are facing in their line of duty is burnout resulting from sleep deprivation and shift work. This causes fatigue which is an overwhelming sense of tiredness, exhaustions and lack of energy, which in turn interferes with their ability to deliver quality services to patients. The main reason for burnout through sleep deprivation is shift work which is common among industrialized societies. When shift work includes night hours, it causes immense negative effects on sleep, performance, physiological and subjective sleepiness, the risk of accidents, as well as, health risks such as cardiovascular diseases.
Significance of problem in terms of outcomes or statistics
A study conducted by CITATION Ann06 \l 1033 (Rogers, 2006) the average sleep durations decreased from 9 hours in 1910 to 6.9 hours in 2002. However, the mean time of sleep may be lower than this estimated figure as evidenced by studies carried out on nurses in San Diego. Further research by CITATION Akr09 \l 1033 (Akrestedt & Wright, 2009) showed that on average, trained physicians or nurses work up to 80 hours in a week, with weekly shifts extending up to 100 or 120 hours being common. The data on continuous wakefulness on duty ranged from 38 to 46 hours without sleep.
PICOT
Population
What is the population of nurses affected by sleep deprivation?
The mean time obtained from the 273 randomly selected nurses was 6.22 hours. Longer sleeping hours were also recorded on weekends and holidays, demonstrating that they did not get enough sleep during weekdays. A study carried out in American nurses showed that on average nurses get 84 more minutes of sleep on holidays and weekends, as compared to other professionals who get 23 more minutes of sleep on weekends and holidays. Out of the same population, 10-11% of nurses admitted to sleeping during work hours. Additionally, CITATION Ann06 \l 1033 (Rogers, 2006) reports that almost a fifth of all nurses admit to struggling to stay awake during night shifts and while taking care of patients. In another survey, it was established that 35.3% of nurses fall asleep during night shifts while in rotated shifts.
Interventions
What are some of the intervention measures being put in place to deal with this problem?
Some of the ways of dealing with sleep deprivation among nurse especially during work shifts include taking regular rest breaks, exercising frequently, napping and using bright lights. In extreme cases, pharmacological measures could be taken to provide relief from the symptoms of sleep deprivation or fatigue during work shifts. Nurses should not take night shifts in succession as this will only result in accumulation of sleepiness. There should be flexibility and positive influence in scheduling shifts.
Comparison
What would be the situation in the nursing field if nurses did not suffer from sleep deprivation?
Due to the intensive nature of their jobs, most nurses find their selves tied in tight shifts which hardly renders them much time to relax and get enough sleep. This is because long continuous duty hours give minimal time for recuperation, and contributes significantly in cognitive, physical and emotional functioning of nurses (Owens, 2007).
Outcome
What is the outcome of sleep deprivations among nurses today?
A report by (Owens, 2007) shows that medical errors account for approximately 98,000 preventable patient deaths. These errors result from ineffective communication, interruptions, distractions, deviations from accepted performance standards and organizational factors. The report further stresses that there is a correlation between nurse fatigue resulting from sleep deprivation, and preventable medical errors.
Time
What is the average amount of time that nurses spend on extra shifts to caused sleep deprivation?
According to data collected on 11,387 work shift hours of American nurses, nurses only leave work at their end of their schedules only once out of six shifts. On average, nurses work between 49 and 55 minutes more than their scheduled time with each shift. Despite the recommendation for nurse to take regular rest breaks during shifts, the long shifts that they have to work do not permit them to take breaks. In a study reported by CITATION Ann06 \l 1033 (Rogers, 2006) despite nurse being completely free from patient care responsibilities during breaks and meal times, nurses reported to having no time at all for breaks. The report showed that nurses only get breaks and meal periods in 2,429 out of 5,221 shifts. In addition, there were 334 shifts in which none of the nurses had an opportunity to sit for a meal. Nurses reported having time for meals and a break on 2,249 out of the total 5,221 shifts but that they were not relieved from patient responsibilities during the breaks CITATION Ter13 \l 1033 (Townsend, 2013).
¯ Purpose of your paper
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges that nurses face because of sleep deprivation and working in shifts, and the effects that sleep deprivation has on their occupation and service delivery.
* Levels of Evidence
¯ Type of question asked
The type of question being asked in this paper is prognosis.
¯ Best evidence found to answer question
The best evidence found to answer this question is a cohort study that shows the exact numbers of nurse population, as well as, time spend on work shifts while describing the effects of these numbers.
Search Strategy
¯ Search terms
Nurses, sleep deprivation, work shifts, fatigue
¯ Databases used
* US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
* Lippincott Nursing Center
* American Nurse Today
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