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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Fatigue and sleep quality in nurses.
Kryssie Kunert1, Major L King, Fred W Kolkhorst
1San Diego Hospice Liaisons, Scripps Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California, USA.
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
|September 13, 2007
Summary
Night-shift nurses report higher fatigue and poorer sleep quality compared to day-shift nurses. This study highlights significant differences in perceived fatigue and sleep quality between these nursing groups.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Occupational Health
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Fatigue significantly impacts nurses, potentially causing medical errors and decreased performance.
- Poor sleep quality is a major contributor to nurse fatigue.
- Shift work, particularly night shifts, is common in nursing and may exacerbate these issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare fatigue levels between night-shift and day-shift nurses using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI).
- To assess differences in sleep quality between night-shift and day-shift nurses via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Main Methods:
- Utilized univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare BFI and PSQI scores.
- Collected data from night-shift and day-shift nursing cohorts.
Main Results:
- Night-shift nurses reported significantly higher mean scores on the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), indicating greater perceived fatigue.
- Night-shift nurses also exhibited significantly higher mean scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), suggesting poorer sleep quality.
Conclusions:
- Night-shift nurses experience substantially higher levels of fatigue and diminished sleep quality compared to their day-shift counterparts.
- Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to mitigate fatigue and enhance sleep quality among night-shift nurses.
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