INCREASE NURSES WORKING HOURS- AS A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE IN NURSING

INTRODUCTION

Shift length has become something of a hot topic in recent years and is a topic very pertinent to

the nursing field specifically. The most popular length of shifts, seen worldwide are either eight

or twelve hours. The length does not however include any overtime one may work rather is

simply representative or normal, scheduled shifts. In nursing, the patient is the main client and

therefore, patient satisfaction and outcomes of patient care are what most look at to determine the

effectiveness of a healthcare team (Sivesind Victoria,2020). However, things such as nursing

staff job satisfaction, nurse burnout and the physical and mental health of the nursing staff are

equally important when calculating such a measure. All these things and more are potentially

affected by the length of shifts which nurses in these institutions are working (Sivesind

Victoria,2020).

Extended shifts undermine nurse’s well-being, may result in expensive job turnover and can

negatively affect patient care. Traditional eight-hour shifts for hospital nurses are becoming a

thing of the past. This schedule gives nurses a three-day work week, potentially providing better

work-life balance and flexibility. However, actual shifts lengths are often unpredictable because

of fluctuations in patient needs and unanticipated staffing changes (Douglas M. Sloane,2013).

Twelve hours nursing shifts emerged in the 1970s and quickly gained traction among healthcare

professionals. Nurses liked the idea of working fewer days and hospitals found the arrangements

easier for its scheduling, allowing them to assign fewer shift per nurse. It was only in the wake of

the early 2000s water shed to err is human report which claimed that upwards of 98,800 people
dies in US hospitals every year due to unpreventable medical errors, that the public began

questioning how work hours and patient safety might be intertwined (Linda H. Aiken,2013).

DEFINITION

INCREASE: Is the rise in size, amount or degree of something.

NURSE: A nurse is a care giver for patients and helps to manage physical needs, prevent illness

and treat health conditions.

WORKING: Is the action of doing work. Or having paid employment

HOURS: A fixed period of time for an activity or work.

DISCUSSION

The question is, are hospital nurses’ perception of their job, their health and outcomes of care

affected by shift length, is a very important topic that has come up quite a bit in recent years.

Though some research has told of the benefits of limiting shifts to eight hours (Jarrar et.al,2019),

no definitive answer has been given and there are still many hospitals who adhere to twelve-hour

shifts. The problem of whatever shifts length has an effect on outcomes and on the nurses

themselves, is not only something that is pertinent right now, but also will be important for the

future. Nursing is a field where you have to be ready for anything and is very detail oriented.

Many argue that after a twelve-hour shift nurses are unable to give their job their all. It is also

argued that working that many hours in one shift is putting a toll on nurses physical and mental

health (Thompson, 2019). Still there are others who advocate for these twelve-hour shifts and

argue that there is no real difference in work performance, job satisfaction and patient outcomes

when compared to eight-hour shifts (Ballie et. Al, 2019). Looking at these two sides of the coin
and adding to the already complied data can only be beneficial to the betterment of nursing

practice in the future. Normal working hours decides not only physical life of nurses but it also

decides mental health, family and work-life balance of the nurses. Normal working hours (8

hours or 6 hours) will make employees productive and make them to concentrate balancing both

family and work life devoting adequate to personal and social life. Long working hours will not

only make the nurses dissatisfied with work but also make employees less productive and

deteriorate their physical health. Nursing profession deals with human lives therefore, nurses

must be focused to ensure the safety of the patients. Hence, increased working hours does not

only affect physical, mental health, family and social life of nurses but also affects patient’s

safety and the hospitals reputation. Furthermore, nurses working shifts of 10 hours or longer

were up to two and a half times more likely than nurses working shorter shifts to experience

burnout and intend to leave the job. Research has documented that hospitals in which a higher

proportion of nurse’s experience burnout have lower patient satisfaction, the nurses never

communicated well, pain was sometimes or never well controlled and they sometimes or never

received help as soon as they wanted.

Working long hours is bad for women. It is found that women who worked more than 60 hours

per week were nearly 3 times more likely to develop heart diseases, non- skin cancers, arthritis

and diabetics than those who worked less. Nurses who work long hours typically have less free

time to engage in health behaviour like exercise. It is definitely more of a problem for women.

Explored the relationship and impact of working hours on work, family conflict and social

support among doctors and proved that working longer hours lead to higher work-family conflict

and lower social support i.e. work hours significantly contribute to work-family conflict and

social support.
 BENEFITS OF 8 HOURS SHIFTS

1) Minimize fatigue: Nursing is an extremely rewarding, yet physically and emotionally

demanding profession. 8 hours on the job can be tiring, much less 12 hours especially

when those 12 hours turn into 13-14 hours due to over time. There is higher level of

fatigue while working 12 hours shift, leading to a higher level of fatigue that may

translate into mistakes in patient care (Natalie Vaughn,2020).

2) Curtail burnout: This is the state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion as a result

of prolong stress. It is a major issue in nursing. With an estimate of one million nurses set

to retire 2025, hospitals cannot afford to lose any additional members of their staff. 3)

3) Reduce errors: In a study of nearly 400 hospital nurses, researchers found that the risk of

making error increases when nurses work overtime or extended shifts (Natalie

Vaughn,2020).

4) Decreased health complications: Long hours and high stress level in nursing can lead to

serious health conditions among nurses including gastric ulcer, musculoskeletal disorder,

diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and cancer (Natalie

Vaughn, 2020).

CONCLUSION

 Shift work and long work hours put nurses at risk for short sleep duration and

sleep disturbances.

 Insufficient sleep increases the risk for reduced performance on the job, injuries,

obesity, a wide range of chronic diseases and fatigue-related errors which could

harm patients and other people.

 Education and training programs for managers and staff nurses would help

increase their appreciation and knowledge about the demands of shift work and

long work hours and provide them with strategies to reduce these risks.

 Managers and employers should include improving the design of their work

schedules, promoting frequent breaks during the work shift, fostering good co-

worker and supervisor relationships and establishing policies and systems that

reduce the risk for fatigue and health related problems.

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 BABCOCK UNIVERSITY,

ILISHAN REMO, OGUN STATE.

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCE.

500 LEVEL

COURSE:

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN NURSING (NRSG 509)

ASSIGNMENT:

INCREASE NURSES WORKING HOURS- AS A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE IN

NURSING

GROUP 3

LECTURER:

MR. ASONYE

DATE:29TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2021

 GROUP 3 MEMBERS

1. HASSAN LYDIA ZAMBUK 17/0203

2. IBEH ONYINYECHUKWU ESTHER 17/2184

3. IBILEYE TOLULOPE FERANMI 17/2179

4. IFIOK-EFFIONG HANNAH IDEHEKERE 18/0637

5. IGBOANUZUE JANE CHIEMELIE 17/0076

6. IGBOANUZUE JENNIFER CHISOM 17/0062

7. IGE TAIWO OLUFUNKE 17/0957

8. ILORI MORENIKEJI OLASUBOMI 17/2038

9. IROHA CHIDINMA UDUMA 17/1470

10. JACOB ESTHER MAUSI 17/0419

11. JAMES JOANNA ADEOLA 17/2224

12. JEKENNU ABIDEMI DEBORAH 17/2285

13. JEREMIAH CHIAMAKA PEACE 17/0240

14. KANU CYNTHIA CHINASAOKWU 17/0359

15. KEHINDE TOBILOBA ITUNNU 18/0057

16. KOLAPO FAVOUR ENIOLA 17/0242

17. KOYA ITEOLUWAKIISI OLUWASEMILORE 17/0161

18. LAOYE TAIWO EBUNIOLA 17/1596

19. MADUABUCHI-NWAOKOLO MARVIS 17/0488

20. MAGNUS CYNTHIA FISAYOMI 17/0551

21. NDUKA MMESOMA DANIELLA 17/0630

22. NWACHUKWU OGECHUKWU JANETH 17/1970

23. NWAIWU NANCY TOBECHI 17/0095

24. NWAUBANI ADAUGO CHELSEA 16/1871

25. NWAWULU ANITA KOSISOCHUKWU 16/1654

26. OBASAN JOSHUA ABOLAJI 17/0448

27. ODOFIN OLUWASAYO IFEOLUWAPO 17/0788

28. ODUFOWOKAN MOYINOLUWA 17/0797

29. ODUNLADE BRIGHT AYOMIKUN 17/0792

30. ODUSANYA JOSPHINE JESUNIFEMI 17/0794

31. OGUNSAKIN OLUWAFUNKE PRECIOUS 17/2310

32. OGUNSANYA OLUWAPELUMI OLARENWAJU 17/1610

33. OGUNTUYI FADEKEMI MARY 17/0831

34. OHANYERE VICTORY CHINAZOR 17/0847

35. OKAFOR JENNIFER CHISOM 17/0862

36. OKANLAWON ABIMBOLA PERPETUAL 18/0105

37. OKEREKE CHIDINMA ADAKU 17/0864

38. OKESON GLORIA 17/1986

39. OKONKWO PRINCESS ADAEZE 17/0888