The State of Rest Break Practices Among 12-Hour Shift Hospital Nurses in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the characteristics, content, and context of rest breaks taken by hospital nurses. BACKGROUND: Nurses often miss, skip, or take interrupted breaks. To improve the quality of breaks and promote within-shift recovery, it is important to understand current rest break practices including break activities and contextual challenges around them. METHODS: Survey data from 806 nurses were collected between October and November 2021. RESULTS: Most nurses did not take regular breaks. Rest breaks were often interrupted, spent being worried about work, and rarely resulted in a relaxed state. Common break activities were having a meal or a snack, and browsing the Internet. Regardless of workload, nurses considered patient acuity, staffing, and unfinished nursing tasks when deciding to take breaks. CONCLUSION: Rest break practices are of poor quality. Nurses mainly consider workload-related factors when taking breaks, which warrants the attention of nursing administration.

Hospital staff nurse perceptions of resources and resource needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND There is a knowledge gap related to the resource needs of hospital nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. PURPOSE To investigate nurses' perceptions of organizational resources and support needs approximately 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. METHOD Cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 2124 U.S. hospital nurses from July-September 2021 FINDINGS There were some misalignments between what resources were provided to nurses and what was perceived as helpful to them. Nurses reported increased staffing, increased compensation, and management and leadership support most frequently as resources that could help them continue to provide safe and quality care during and after the pandemic. These were also the resources nurses most frequently reported that they wanted to be provided by their hospitals during the pandemic but were not. DISCUSSION The findings offer valuable insights into how organizations can prepare to ensure workforce resilience during future crises. To support nurses, organizations should prioritize interventions and policies related to staffing, financial rewards, and management and leadership.

Occupational fatigue, individualized nursing care, and quality of nursing care among hospital nurses.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationships among nurse fatigue, individualized nursing care, and nurse-reported quality of care. DESIGN: The study used a cross-sectional design. Data from 858 registered nurses providing bedside care in hospitals were collected between March and April 2021 in the United States. METHODS: Participants completed a self-administered online survey, including the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery scale, the Individualized Care Scale-Nurse version, and a single item assessing nursing care quality. Relationships among the study variables were examined using multiple linear and logistic regression models. FINDINGS: Nurses' higher levels of acute fatigue were significantly associated with decreased perceptions of individualized nursing activities provided to patients on their last shifts, specifically related to personal life condition and decision-making control. Nurses' higher levels of chronic fatigue were significantly associated with decreased perception of individualized nursing activities provided to patients on their last shifts related to clinical condition, personal life condition, and decision-making control. Nurses with higher levels of acute or chronic fatigue, and who perceived their nursing care activities as less individualized were less likely to assess their quality of care as excellent. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that addressing hospital nurses' acute and chronic fatigue may contribute to promoting the delivery of individualized nursing care and in improving patients' quality of care. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Healthcare institutions are encouraged to regularly monitor and manage nurse fatigue to improve the delivery of individualized and quality nursing care to their patients.

The insomnia, fatigue, and psychological well-being of hospital nurses 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown sleep problems, elevated fatigue, and high cases of burnout, as well as signs of post-traumatic stress and psychological distress among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many US hospitals attempted to minimise its impact on staff by providing basic resources, mental health services, and wellness programs. Therefore, it is critical to re-evaluate these well-being indices and guide future administrative efforts. PURPOSE: To determine the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic after 18 months on hospital nurses' insomnia, fatigue, burnout, post-traumatic stress, and psychological distress. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Data were collected online mainly through state board and nursing association listservs between July-September 2021 (N = 2488). The survey had psychometrically tested instruments (Insomnia Severity Index, Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Short Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Patient Health Questionnaire-4) and sections on demographics, health, and work. The STrengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology checklist was followed for reporting. RESULTS: Nurses had subthreshold insomnia, moderate-to-high chronic fatigue, high acute fatigue, and low-to-moderate intershift recovery. Regarding burnout, they experienced increased emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, and some depersonalisation. Nurses had mild psychological distress but scored high on post-traumatic stress. Nurses who frequently cared for patients with COVID-19 in the past months scored significantly worse in all measures than their co-workers. Factors such as nursing experience, shift length, and frequency of rest breaks were significantly related to all well-being indices. CONCLUSION: Nurses' experiences were similar to findings from the early pandemic but with minor improvements in psychological distress. Nurses who frequently provided COVID-19 patient care, worked ≥12 h per shift, and skipped rest breaks scored worse on almost all well-being indices. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Administration can help nurses' recovery by providing psychological support, mental health services, and treatment options for insomnia, as well as re-structure current work schedules and ensure that rest breaks are taken.

Nurses' Experience With Type II Workplace Violence and Underreporting During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Type II (customer-on-worker) workplace violence (WPV) against nurses and its underreporting are ongoing safety and health challenges in health care. The COVID-19 pandemic has strained patients and nurses and, in turn, may have increased WPV. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe and compare a sample of nurses' reported prevalence of Type II WPV and their reporting of these events during the pandemic. METHODS: Data from an online survey of registered nurses (N = 373) working in hospitals were included. Prevalence was calculated for physical violence and verbal abuse, and their reporting of these events, including the experience of violence between nurses who did and did not care for patients with COVID-19. FINDINGS: Overall, 44.4% and 67.8% of the nurses reported experiencing physical violence and verbal abuse, respectively, between February and May/June 2020. Nurses who provided care for patients with COVID-19 experienced more physical violence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.30, 3.67]) and verbal abuse (aOR = 2.10, 95% CI = [1.22, 3.61]) than nurses who did not care for these patients. One in 10 nurses felt reporting the incident was more difficult during the pandemic. CONCLUSION/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: A significant proportion of nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19 experienced more physical violence and verbal abuse, and more difficulty in reporting to management. As the pandemic continues, health care organizations need to recognize that workers may be at an elevated risk for experiencing WPV and may be less likely to report, resulting in an urgent need for prevention efforts on their part.

Did rest breaks help with acute fatigue among nursing staff on 12-h shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic? A cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study aimed to explore whether 30-min rest breaks were as effective at lowering acute fatigue among 12-h shift hospital nursing staff who cared for patients with COVID-19 as among those who did not. DESIGN: The study was cross-sectional in design. METHODS: Data from the SAFE-CARE study collected online between May and June 2020 were used. A subsample (N = 338) comprised of nursing staff who reported working 12-h shifts, and providing direct patient care in hospitals was used in this study. Data on socio-demographics, work and rest breaks, and subjective measures of fatigue, psychological distress, sleep and health were used. Hierarchical multiple linear regression followed by stratified analyses was conducted to explore the relationships between rest breaks and acute fatigue among nursing staff groups with and without COVID-19 patient care. RESULTS: The sample, on average, had high acute fatigue. Around 72% reported providing care to patients with COVID-19, and 71% reported taking rest breaks 'sometimes', 'often' or 'always'. In the group that cared for patients with COVID-19, there was no significant relationship between rest breaks and acute fatigue (p = .507). In the group that cared for patients hospitalized for other reasons, rest breaks were associated with lower acute fatigue (p = .010). CONCLUSION: Our findings showed both the importance and inadequacy of rest breaks in reducing acute fatigue. The process of within-work recovery is complex, and routine rest breaks should be facilitated by nursing management on hospital units during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPACT: Rest breaks may present an effective strategy in lowering fatigue. Although rest breaks were not associated with less fatigue among staff caring for patients with COVID-19, other co-workers experienced some fatigue recovery. For frontline nursing staff, routine rest breaks are encouraged, and a systematic evaluation pertaining the sufficiency of rest breaks during high work demands in future research is needed.

Hospital Nursing Staff Perceptions of Resources Provided by Their Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted the health and psychological well-being of hospital nursing staff. While additional support is needed to better cope with increased job stressors, little is known about what types of hospital resources have been provided and how nursing staff perceive them. This study addressed this gap by describing nursing staff perceptions of resources provided by hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. METHODS: Registered nurses and nursing assistants who were working in hospitals during the pandemic were recruited to an online survey via social media posts and emails between May and June 2020. A total of 360 free-text responses to an open-ended survey question were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Over half of participants reported being provided with hospital resources. "Basic needs" resources that included food on-site, groceries, and childcare support were the most frequently reported compared with four other types of resources (personal health and safe practice, financial support, managerial support, communication). Four themes emerged related to staff perceptions of support: community support, unequal benefits, decreasing resources, and insufficient personal protective equipment. CONCLUSION: Our findings can assist organizational leaders in the planning and allocation of different types of resources that are meaningful to nursing staff and thus ensure sustainability, optimal performance, and worker well-being during crises.

Insomnia, fatigue and psychosocial well-being during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of hospital nursing staff in the United States.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the levels of insomnia, fatigue and intershift recovery, and psychological well-being (burnout, post-traumatic stress and psychological distress), and to examine differences in these measures based on work-related characteristics among nursing staff during COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a major physical and psychological burden on nursing staff in the United States and worldwide. A better understanding of these conditions will lead to tailored support and resources for nursing staff during and after the pandemic. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Hospital nurses and nursing assistants (N = 587) were recruited online between May-June 2020. The survey included measures on insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index) fatigue and intershift recovery (Occupational Fatigue and Exhaustion Recovery-15), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey), post-traumatic stress (Short Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview) and psychological distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-4), and questions on work and demographics. The STROBE checklist was followed for reporting. RESULTS: The sample had subthreshold insomnia, moderate-to-high chronic fatigue, high acute fatigue and low-to-moderate intershift recovery. The sample experienced increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, increased personal accomplishment, moderate psychological distress and high post-traumatic stress. Nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients had significantly scored worse on almost all measures than their co-workers. Certain factors such as working hours per week and the frequency of 30-min breaks were significant. CONCLUSION: Nursing staff experienced poor sleep, fatigue and multiple psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, staff who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients, worked more than 40 h per week and skipped 30-min breaks showed generally worse self-reported outcomes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing administration is recommended to monitor for fatigue and distress on nursing units, re-visit current scheduling practices, reinforce rest breaks and provide access to mental health and sleep wellness resources with additional support for their front-line nursing groups.