Research Problem
Pioneering research into the effects and countermeasures of fatigue is largely understudied according to Scott et al. (2010); the effects of extended work hours, time hours worked and the inverse relation to sleep and nursing errors has received little recognition. Furthermore, the problem of night shift fatigue is so prevalent the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the Joint Commission have called for fatigue countermeasures to be researched and implemented so nurses can provided the highest level of care to their patients. The necessity for fatigue countermeasures transcends healthcare according to Scott et al. (2010) where successful implementation of fatigue countermeasures is standard …show more content…
A literature review into fatigue countermeasures was completed and resulted in three plausible solutions in the temporary relief of nighttime fatigue.
Ten trials evaluated by Slanger et al. (2016) on the effects of bright lighting has been shown to have no clear effect on the reduction of nighttime fatigue. The research studies exposed nurses to 2,500 lux to 10,000 lux of light for varying durations from 20 minutes to 180 minutes with no beneficial effects over control groups. In addition, research by Rogers (2008) PAPER found that the effects lighting were minor and to have any benefit subjects needed exposure of 2 to 6 hours of continuous bright lighting in order to achieve any fatigue reduction. Though bright lighting has been used as an effective fatigue countermeasure for those with stationary jobs (ex. dispatchers and air traffic controllers) nurses are dynamic, where time is spent in multiple locations (ex. desk, medication room, and patient’s room) making constant exposure to bright lighting described by Rogers (2008) unfeasible. Furthermore increased lighting is contraindicated for the patient when nurses are attempting to promote darkened rooms and noise reduction as part of sleep …show more content…
All study participants will complete the KSS prior to the start of the study, as well as KSS testing on the Friday of weeks 4, 8 and the end of the study on week 16. The KSS was chosen as it consists of ten questions in likert scale format ranging from 1-5 (1=very poor - 5=very good). Furthermore, the KSS assesses the participant on three dimensions, sleep status, sleep difficulty, and daytime sleep distress. The KSS was chosen for its good reliability and validity according to Chan (2008). Furthermore, the KSS “is widely used in sleep science to describe state of sleepiness, and has been validated against performance and electroencephalographic variables” (Geiger-Brown et al., 2016, p. 29). Napping will occur between 1-3am and the duration of naps will consist of 30 minutes, since naps of greater length are impractical and there is an increased risk of sleep inertia (Howard, Radford, Jackson, Swann, & Kennedy, 2010), which Cheng et al. (2014) described as “a transient state of lowered arousal occurring immediately after awakening from sleep, affecting alertness, and all cognitive processes” (p. 641).
Setting
Research into the effectiveness of napping as a successful implementation will occur in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. Virtua Memorial’s
Pioneering research into the effects and countermeasures of fatigue is largely understudied according to Scott et al. (2010); the effects of extended work hours, time hours worked and the inverse relation to sleep and nursing errors has received little recognition. Furthermore, the problem of night shift fatigue is so prevalent the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the Joint Commission have called for fatigue countermeasures to be researched and implemented so nurses can provided the highest level of care to their patients. The necessity for fatigue countermeasures transcends healthcare according to Scott et al. (2010) where successful implementation of fatigue countermeasures is standard …show more content…
A literature review into fatigue countermeasures was completed and resulted in three plausible solutions in the temporary relief of nighttime fatigue.
Ten trials evaluated by Slanger et al. (2016) on the effects of bright lighting has been shown to have no clear effect on the reduction of nighttime fatigue. The research studies exposed nurses to 2,500 lux to 10,000 lux of light for varying durations from 20 minutes to 180 minutes with no beneficial effects over control groups. In addition, research by Rogers (2008) PAPER found that the effects lighting were minor and to have any benefit subjects needed exposure of 2 to 6 hours of continuous bright lighting in order to achieve any fatigue reduction. Though bright lighting has been used as an effective fatigue countermeasure for those with stationary jobs (ex. dispatchers and air traffic controllers) nurses are dynamic, where time is spent in multiple locations (ex. desk, medication room, and patient’s room) making constant exposure to bright lighting described by Rogers (2008) unfeasible. Furthermore increased lighting is contraindicated for the patient when nurses are attempting to promote darkened rooms and noise reduction as part of sleep …show more content…
All study participants will complete the KSS prior to the start of the study, as well as KSS testing on the Friday of weeks 4, 8 and the end of the study on week 16. The KSS was chosen as it consists of ten questions in likert scale format ranging from 1-5 (1=very poor - 5=very good). Furthermore, the KSS assesses the participant on three dimensions, sleep status, sleep difficulty, and daytime sleep distress. The KSS was chosen for its good reliability and validity according to Chan (2008). Furthermore, the KSS “is widely used in sleep science to describe state of sleepiness, and has been validated against performance and electroencephalographic variables” (Geiger-Brown et al., 2016, p. 29). Napping will occur between 1-3am and the duration of naps will consist of 30 minutes, since naps of greater length are impractical and there is an increased risk of sleep inertia (Howard, Radford, Jackson, Swann, & Kennedy, 2010), which Cheng et al. (2014) described as “a transient state of lowered arousal occurring immediately after awakening from sleep, affecting alertness, and all cognitive processes” (p. 641).
Setting
Research into the effectiveness of napping as a successful implementation will occur in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. Virtua Memorial’s