Essay Example on Nurses' Shift Work: Medication Safety & Patient Care

Di, M. M., Dionisi, S., Di, S. E., Cianfrocca, C., Di, M. F., Fabbian, F., Barbiero, G., ... Giannetta, N. (2019, January 01). Can nurses’ shift work jeopardize patient safety? A systematic review. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 23(10), 4507-4519. www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/4507-4519.pdf

This research article that focuses on the importance of medication on patient care and the role played by nurses in ensuring that they administer doses correctly. The authors argue that given the central role played by nurses in medication administration, they should be free from fatigue and sleep deprivation caused by long working shifts that may lead to errors. They found out that exposing nurses to increased workload, extended working shifts that lead to fatigue and stress situations may significantly jeopardize the safety of patients.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The source was authored by several medical professionals with experience from various medical facilities and universities in Italy. It is peer-reviewed and supported by current evidence published last year.

The article supports my argument that is against overtime working for nurses. I intend to use it further to support my case from facts and research that is backed up with experts and help prove the dangers of fatigue, which leads to severe errors.

Lobo, V. M., Ploeg, J., Fisher, A., Peachey, G., & Akhtar-Danesh, N. (2018, December 01). Critical care nurses’ reasons for working or not working overtime. Critical Care Nurse, 38(6), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2018616

This article presents a two-tiered argument on whether nurses should or should not work overtime. It focuses on both sides of the debate giving benefits and demerits of the same. The authors also explore the reason for the increased amounts of overtime by registered nurses around the world, arguing that they play a role in critical care environments. Through interviews with 39 frontline and critical care unit nurses, the study established that most nurses, 96%, worked overtime to increase their income. In contrast, for those who did not work overtime, 71% said to have pother established plans.

The article is authored by five experts who have PhDs in the medical industry. It is was published in 2018 and supported by current evidence.

I intend to use the paper to understand both sides of the debate; why nurses prefer working overtime and why others do not. The study also provides more insights into my research by giving statistics of prevalence by nurses on either side.

Rajan, D. (2017, September 18). Negative impacts of long working hours: A comparative study among nurses. Moj Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 1(2), 6067. http://medcraveonline.com/MOJABB/MOJABB-01-00010.pdf

This article presents a survey focused on understanding the perception of qualified nurses from various fields on long working hours. The author argues that overtime working present fatal outcomes; supported by views collected from 120 nurses from single-specialty and multispecialty hospitals, the study finds out that the perceptions of nurses about longer working hours converge on the fact that their health, family, and social life are affected.

The article is peer-reviewed, received, and published in September 2017 in the Moj Applied Bionics and Biomechanics journal; thus, it presents current evidence useful in my research. It is authored by Rajan D., who is a business administration expert in the Blue Crest College of Ghana; hence he is credible to discuss matters regarding overtime working.

The survey supports my argument on the impact of overtime working on the health of nurses, their families, and social life. If the nurses are affected, then the effects will trickle to the patients under their care.

Son, Y. J., Lee, E. K. & Ko, Y. (2019, October 24). Association of working hours and patient safety competencies with adverse nurse outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21), 4083. www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/21/4083/pdf

The article focuses on patient safety issues and the effect of long working hours on quality care and its association with work-related hazards. Data was collected from 380 nurses from tertiary hospitals in Korea. Findings from the data indicated decreased patient safety and frequent reports among patient safety accidents among facilities with long working schedules. The authors concluded that overtime working should be discouraged to achieve patient safety while protecting the rights of nurses.

The authors Youn-Jung Son, Eun Kyoung Lee, and Yukyung Ko are experienced professionals in the nursing field working with medical schools and university hospitals in Korea; hence, they understand the effects of long working hours on nurses. The article is peer-reviewed, published in July 2019 on the international journal of environmental research and public health.

The article integrates into my research by providing data on the effects of long working hours on patients and is essential in backing up my argument.

Wheatley, C. (2017, July 01). Nursing overtime: Should it be regulated? Nursing Economics, 35(4), 213-217. www.nursingeconomics.net/necfiles/2017/JA17/213.pdf

The article focuses on the regulation of overtime nursing due to the possible adverse patient and nurse events in most hospitals. She argues that long working hours among nurses is typical because of the requirement of more staff in various medical facilities. She continues to affirm that it is evident that overtime working leads to adverse nursing outcomes. Implementation of overtime regulations has not been successfully done by the federal government even though some states have implemented it.

The author presents factual and current data from various cross-sectional surveys. And given that she is the President of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, she is credible in presenting arguments around this topic.

The article challenges my argument by providing another point of view that despite the challenges and adverse outcomes presented by long working hours, nurses working overtime bridge the staffing gap due to limited critical health care providers. Hence, with regulations, a win-win scenario is conceivable.

References

Di, M. M., Dionisi, S., Di, S. E., Cianfrocca, C., Di, M. F., Fabbian, F., Barbiero, G., ... Giannetta, N. (2019, January 01). Can nurses’ shift work jeopardize patient safety? A systematic review. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 23(10), 4507-4519. www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/4507-4519.pdf

Lobo, V. M., Ploeg, J., Fisher, A., Peachey, G., & Akhtar-Danesh, N. (2018, December 01). Critical care nurses’ reasons for working or not working overtime. Critical Care Nurse, 38(6), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2018616

Rajan, D. (2017, September 18). Negative impacts of long working hours: A comparative study among nurses. Moj Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 1(2), 6067. http://medcraveonline.com/MOJABB/MOJABB-01-00010.pdf

Son, Y. J., Lee, E. K. & Ko, Y. (2019, October 24). Association of working hours and patient safety competencies with adverse nurse outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21), 4083. www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/21/4083/pdf

Wheatley, C. (2017, July 01). Nursing overtime: Should it be regulated? Nursing Economics, 35(4), 213-217. www.nursingeconomics.net/necfiles/2017/JA17/213.pdf