Improving Sleep Health in Nurses, Essay Example

Introduction

Nurses who work the night shift often face sleep loss or deprivation due to difficulties in adjusting to a different work schedule. Therefore, it is important to address the challenges of this situation and how to improve practice-related outcomes and performance for night shift workers. One question to ask is whether or not a scheduled nap is likely to have any significant benefit in improving nurse/patient outcomes and satisfaction in the clinical setting. This issue is highly relevant to the advanced nursing practice community because it reflects the need to consider alternatives to improve alertness in night shift nurses, using napping as a possible alternative that would become part of the routine practice environment.

Analysis

Napping by night shift nurses is not a new concept and is an important option to stimulate alertness and productivity for this group (Fallis et.al, 2011). Nurses working this shift must have alternatives to improve their work performance and to minimize errors that may occur as a result of lack of sleep and limited alertness (Johnson et.al, 2014). It is important to identify specific concepts that may positively influence outcomes for night shift nurses and to address research questions that could favorably impact this group and their overall performance to ensure that patient care is not compromised in any way.

Conclusion

The Academy of Medical Surgical Nursing is likely to provide support for this project because it focuses on the night shift for med-surg nurses who often struggle with their level of mental alertness and focus during these shifts. The organization is committed to supporting optimal productivity and growth for all nurses, including those working the difficult hours of the night shift. Therefore, this organization will have a lasting impact on the discovery and outcomes of this research project.

References

Fallis, W. M., McMillan, D. E., & Edwards, M. P. (2011). Napping during night shift: practices, preferences, and perceptions of critical care and emergency department nurses. Critical care nurse, 31(2), e1-e11.

Johnson, A. L., Jung, L., Brown, K. C., Weaver, M. T., & Richards, K. C. (2014). Sleep Deprivation and Error in Nurses who Work the Night Shift. Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(1), 17-22.