Literature Reading
Literature Reading
Nursing profession is faced with several issues concerning care practices including the mandatory overtime imposed on nurses. However, both positive and negative perceptions about mandatory overtime appear in various studies about its effect on work efficiency and patient safety. The following literatures provide significant insights on the issue of mandatory overtime based on the findings encompassing both the qualitative and quantitative methods.
Bae, S. (2013). Presence of nurse mandatory overtime regulations and nurse and patient outcomes.Nursing Economics, 31(2), 59-89. Retrieved from https://www.nursingeconomics.net/ce/2015/article31025989.pdf
Mandatory overtime imposed among nurses is a prevalent practice in order to address the chronic understaffing in healthcare facilities. The two-pronged objective of the study is to examine the relationship between adverse patient event including nurse injury and presence of mandatory overtime. A cross-sectional design was employed in the study where the nurses working hours in hospitals in West Virginia and North Carolina was analyzed in relation to the reported adverse patient events and nurse injuries. Power analysis and statistical methods was used in the analysis employing both the quantitative and qualitative approach in interpreting the results. The findings suggests that the nurse injuries are not correlated to mandatory overtime, but adverse patient events was found to occur most frequent within the nurse overtime hours.
Bae, S., Brewer, C., & Kovner, C. (2012). State mandatory overtime regulations and newly licensed nurses’ mandatory and voluntary overtime and total work hours. Nursing Outlook, 60(2), 60-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2011.06.006
The study was conducted to determine how the state regulations were used to implement the nurse mandatory overtime. The mandatory overtime regulations were examined associated to state policies on newly licensed nurses. In this study, secondary data was used together with the results of the NLRNs survey and the work hours of 1,706 newly licensed nurses in 16 States from 2003 to 2010. This encompasses the use of both qualitative and quantitative approach where statistical analysis and self-reported experiences were analyzed to determine the impact of state regulation in the implementation of mandatory policies. The findings of the study revealed that the presence of state regulation influence both the mandatory and voluntary overtime of newly licensed nurses.
Dembe, A. (2008). Ethical Issues Relating to the Health Effects of Long Working Hours. J Bus Ethics,84(S2), 195-208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9700-9
Considerable number of research indicates that there is a higher probability of injury and illness among employees working in longer hours. In addition, fatigue level errors occur during the performance of duty because of exhaustion after longer period of working hours. The study focuses on the review of historical trends in overtime work among healthcare professionals. In addition, the study also determines the ethical issues associated to the imposition of mandatory overtime and how it affects work performance. Furthermore, the study employed the qualitative approach in the methodology through a literature review of historical documents related to the effects of overtime on employee’s health and welfare. Conclusively, the findings revealed that the ethical implications of longer shift hours extend to assumptions of risks and the spillover effect of demanding work schedule not only towards employees, but also the non-employees.
Hughes, R. & Clancy, C. (2008). Research Linking Nurses’ Work Hours to Errors Prompts More State Restrictions. AORN Journal, 87(1), 209-211. Retrieved from http://www.kc-courses.com/fundamentals/week14sleep/linktoerrors.pdf
The study is a review of qualitative research on the relationship between error prompts and nurse’s work hours. Primarily, the article employed the method of narrative analysis of the data from various primary sources encompassing the qualitative approach. Furthermore, the analysis also investigated the role of state policies in the implementation of mandatory overtime in some states and relates them to the self-reported error prompts that occurred during the overtime shift. The results of the analysis suggests that the prevalence of state policies, unpredictable peak demand, nursing shortage, and patient acuity levels contribute to the occurrence of errors on the performance of duty during overtime period.
Olds, D. & Clarke, S. (2010). The effect of work hours on adverse events and errors in health care.Journal Of Safety Research, 41(2), 153-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2010.02.002
The study involves determining the relationship between the adverse events including errors and the extended work hours of registered nurses. Work related injuries as a result of overwork includes nosocomial infections, medication errors, patient falls, and needle stick injuries. Both the multivariate and bivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the variables such as nurse characteristics, adverse events and errors, and work hours of 11,516 nurses. The result indicates that all the aforementioned variables are correlated to working more than 40 hours a week. Among the identified variables, needle stick injuries and medication errors are the most consistent in relationship to longer work hours among nurses in both voluntary and mandatory overtime.
Stimpfel, A., Sloane, D., & Aiken, L. (2012). The Longer The Shifts For Hospital Nurses, The Higher The Levels Of Burnout And Patient Dissatisfaction. Health Affairs, 31(11), 2501-2509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.1377
Extended work of 12 hours or more is common in hospitals and staff nurses. However, little that everyone know that longer work hours affect the quality of care that the patient receives and the well being of the nurses. A survey data from hospitals in four States was analyzed to determine the work satisfaction of nurses working in shifts longer than 12 hours. However, the survey data also revealed that there is a significant increase in patient dissatisfaction because of the high level of nurse burns out. Cross-sectional secondary data was used in the study from three sources that are linked by common hospital identifiers. In addition, descriptive statistics was employed, which helped in determining the bivariate relationship between nurse care outcome and nurse’s shift length. The findings from the study show that extended shifts tend to undermine the nurse’s well being and is related to negative effect towards patient care and result in expensive job turnover.
References
Bae, S. (2013). Presence of Nurse Mandatory Overtime Regulations and Nurse And Patient Outcomes.Nursing Economics, 31(2), 59-89. Retrieved from https://www.nursingeconomics.net/ce/2015/article31025989.pdf
Bae, S., Brewer, C., & Kovner, C. (2012). State mandatory overtime regulations and newly licensed nurses’ mandatory and voluntary overtime and total work hours. Nursing Outlook, 60(2), 60-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2011.06.006
Dembe, A. (2008). Ethical Issues Relating to the Health Effects of Long Working Hours. J Bus Ethics,84(S2), 195-208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9700-9
Hughes, R. & Clancy, C. (2008). Research Linking Nurses’ Work Hours to Errors Prompts More State Restrictions. AORN Journal, 87(1), 209-211. Retrieved from http://www.kc-courses.com/fundamentals/week14sleep/linktoerrors.pdf
Olds, D. & Clarke, S. (2010). The effect of work hours on adverse events and errors in health care.Journal Of Safety Research, 41(2), 153-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2010.02.002
Stimpfel, A., Sloane, D., & Aiken, L. (2012). The Longer The Shifts For Hospital Nurses, The Higher The Levels Of Burnout And Patient Dissatisfaction. Health Affairs, 31(11), 2501-2509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.1377
