Perception of the Effects of Critical Nurses’ Long Working Hours on Vigilance and Patients` Safety in Ramallah district

April 12, 2020

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Unified Nursing Research, Midwifery & Women’s Health Journal
Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2020, Pages: 20-30
Received: Mar. 17, 2020; Accepted: Apr. 17, 2020; Published: Apr. 27, 2020

Authors: Amal Ibrahim, Faculty of Public health, Al-Quds University, Palestine

Abstract:

Introduction:
Working for long hours favors increasing daytime sleepiness and decreasing the state of nurse’s vigilance, offering a greater risk of injuries and work accidents that affect the quality of nurse’s performance and patient safety (Seitz, 2016). Nurses who work in this setting may experience decreased ability to provide optimum care to patients. Thus, for enhancing and improving nurses’ performance and patients` safety, there is a need to better understand fatigue and sleepiness and their association with each other as well as performance and patient safety (Weinstein, 2016).

Objective:
The study assesses the effects of long working hours of nurses in critical care units on vigilance and patients` safety in Ramallah city. The study was conducted at two major hospitals Palestine Medical Complex and Al-Istishari Arab Hospital in the first quarter of 2018.

Keywords: Critical Nurses, Nurses, Drug Importers, Working Hours, Patients` Safety.

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To citation of this article: Amal Ibrahim, Perception of the Effects of Critical Nurses’ Long Working Hours on Vigilance and Patients` Safety in Ramallah district, Unified Nursing Research, Midwifery & Women’s Health Journal

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Method:
A cross-sectional design was used. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 233 critical care nurses were included in the study, the response rate was 78.5%.
The study assessed four domains: level of vigilance during the long working hours, Patient safety level during the long working hours, Patient Safety /Frequency of Events Reported, and Duties affected by vigilance and patients’ safety.

Results:
Study findings show that the nurses reported a relatively high prevalence degree of long working hours (42.61%).

Also, the study finds a real significant difference between working more ≥12daily, ≥40 h /weekly and vigilance and, no relationship between long working hours and patient safety were recorded ( p=.737).

On the other hand, age, gender, current position, and place of work show no significance in relation to vigilance and patient safety. Finally, a significant difference between the level of nurse’s vigilance was found between the two hospitals, and nurses at Palestine Medical Complex were eventually more alert.

Conclusion:
The study suggested that nurses get as much sleep as possible before starting long working hours improves their performance, prevent fatigue, and keeps them alert and vigilant. Limiting consecutive long working days to a maximum of 4 days and making sure there is adequate rest time between successive shifts.