Nurses sleep less before work days than days off, affecting patient care

Editor's Note

In this study from New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, nurses were found to sleep nearly an hour and a half less before work days than before days off, affecting patient care and safety.

Using data from two surveys of 1,568 nurses collected in 2015 and 2016, nurses reported getting, on average, just under 7 hours (414 minutes) of sleep before a work day and more than 8 hours (497 minutes) before a nonwork day, for a difference in sleep duration of 83 minutes.

Short sleep duration was statistically significantly associated with lower ratings of patient safety and quality of care.

At the individual level, nurses who are sleeping less may be more fatigued at work, resulting in performance impairments. At the organizational level, if nurses are working in an environment that has frequent staff shortages or high staff turnover that results in unexpected overtime and long hours, patient safety may be compromised by tired, overworked nurses.

Healthcare managers should consider interventions to support nurses’ sleep to improve patient care, the researchers say.