Pregnant nurses' experiences of working shifts: a qualitative systematic review protocol

The proposed systematic review will synthesize the experiences of nurses working in any shifts during pregnancy.

Nurses are among the most burdened health care workers and are at risk of diseases of the circulatory system due to prolonged standing. For pregnant nurses, this could reduce blood circulation and blood flow to the uterus and placenta. Contributing factors include long working hours and frequent heavy lifting, which may induce uterine contractions and premature birth; irregular shifts, which exacerbate fatigue; and high levels of psychosocial stress. There is no qualitative evidence as to what nurses are experiencing while working shifts when pregnant. This review will evaluate and integrate the current available findings related to the experience of shift-working nurses who are pregnant.

This review will include qualitative studies focusing on the experience of shift work among pregnant nurses. No language or date limits will be applied. All types of pregnancy among nurses will be included.

The databases to be searched will include CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), and Igaku Chuo Zasshi (the Japan Medical Abstracts Society). Sources of gray literature will include MedNar and DANS, as well as the websites of the American Nurses Association and the Japanese Nursing Association. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. The synthesized findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach for establishing confidence in findings.

PROSPERO CRD42022309674.