Research in Health Care (nursing)

The Perceptions of Critical Care Nurses and Emergency Nurses on the

Effects of the 12-Hour Shift on Patient Safety

Abstract

The 12-hour shift schedule of nurses is one of the hospitals ' response to the shortage of nurses in the United States . Having this type of schedule practised among nurses , some studies have shown deleterious effects on the provision of care and providing safety for patients . The focus of the research paper is to identify the perceptions of nurses from the emergency room and critical care units on the effects of the

12-hour staffing schedule on patient 's safety . The nurses ' perception will be surveyed and analysed to contribute to the improvement of patient care in practice

Introduction

It is a fact that nurses have an important role of being primary caregivers in the healthcare field . They are tasked to provide quality care and assure patient safety in any condition . The roles and responsibilities of nurses have a wide range , it includes monitoring of patients ' status , coordinating care , providing health education to patients as well as their relatives and giving competent and essential therapeutic care . However , there are several factors that might affect the performance of nurses in relation to assuring patient safety . Some of the factors identified by the Committee on the Work Environment of Nurses and Patient Safety were work processes , workload , work hours and workspaces of nursing staff (Page 2004 : xi . In 2000 , a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM ) documented an alarming rate of medical errors...