The use of technology during sleep by emergency department nurses

Sleep is increasingly recognized as fundamental to health across the lifespan. Nurses who experience compassion fatigue often report being sleep deprived, having poor sleep habits, and experiencing poor sleep quality. Increasingly, the use of technology is a factor associated with poor sleep.

This descriptive, correlational study used a convenience sample of registered nurses who worked full-time in a Level I trauma center emergency department. Nurses were asked about their sleep, technology use during sleep, and levels of compassion fatigue using the 30-question Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL v5).

Emergency nurses who recounted answering their cell phone during sleep were more likely to report being startled and having had intrusive, frightening thoughts. Quality of sleep showed a relationship with being preoccupied with people taken care of at work. Although only a small number of nurses reported texting in their sleep, those who did were more likely to be younger, report feeling worn out, and with high compassion fatigue scores.

Many healthcare professionals experience a variety of sleep difficulties from technology use ranging from lack of sleep to poor sleep quality. Nurses and providers may underestimate the impact of chronic sleep loss on their job performance, especially those who practice ED settings and are experiencing compassion fatigue. Prioritizing sleep through the implementation and use of evidence-based strategies aimed at improving sleep quality is essential in managing sleep patterns by emergency nurses, providers, and staff.