Nurses' perceptions of night shifts: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Emergency Medicine
• Workplace Psychology

Background:

• Shift work, particularly night shifts, poses physical and psychological challenges for nurses.
• Limited understanding exists regarding factors influencing nurses' perceptions of night shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore emergency nurses' experiences and perceptions of shortened night shifts.
• To identify nurse preferences concerning night shift duration.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative description design utilizing semistructured interviews.
• Involved 15 emergency nurses with 6-14 years of experience.
• Thematic analysis was employed for data interpretation.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: maintaining quality within quantity, maintaining comfort within busyness, and buffering the gap between ideal and reality.
• Nurses perceived an 8-hour night shift as most suitable for the emergency department setting.

Conclusions:

• An 8-hour night shift is considered optimal for emergency departments, balancing work intensity and patient safety.
• Longer shifts may be more appropriate for departments with less demanding night workloads.