12-Hour nursing shifts in critical care: A service evaluation

Abstract

The aim of this single-centre study was to investigate the impact of the introduction of 12-h critical care nursing shifts on healthcare provider and patient care outcomes. A single-centre, prospective service evaluation was completed over a two-year period, comparing the 8-h and 12-h shifts. Outcomes included number of clinical incidents, levels of burn-out, sick rates, personal injuries and training. There were no significant differences between the clinical incidents, sickness rates, personal injuries and staff training between the two data collection periods. The results of the burn-out analysis demonstrate that emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation improved, from the 8-h to 12-h shifts (both p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this service evaluation have demonstrated that 12-h nursing shifts can be introduced safely into the critical care environment, without any detriment to patient or healthcare provider outcomes.

Keywords: Critical care; extended shift patterns; healthcare provider outcomes; nursing staff; patient outcomes.