QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH STUDIES COMPARISON 2

Quantitative Research Studies Comparison

The amount of time that nurses work per shift has a major impact on their effectiveness,
well-being, and the quality of care that they are able to give patients. The decision on a shift
pattern to adopt in a healthcare facility, therefore, is one that is usually taken with a lot of
seriousness because of its potential effects on the overall quality of care that a facility is able to
provide. The two most common shift patterns for nurses are the 12-hour shifts and the 8-hour
shifts. This paper examines two quantitative studies into the issue of 8-hour and 12-hour shift
patterns for nurses, their methodologies, findings, and how the findings can be used in
establishing policy regarding nursing shift patterns.
The two articles examined in this paper are Eight-hour versus 12-h shifts in an ICU:
Comparison of nursing responses and patient outcomes by Webster et al. and 12-hour nursing
shifts in critical care: A service evaluation by Battle C. and Temblett P.
Summaries of the two articles
The objective of the first article was to compare the effects of 8-hour and 12-hour
rostering on nurses and patients. Such research is important because it helps healthcare policy
makers to implement a shift pattern that has the least detrimental effects on both nurses and
patients. The study found that, on the whole, the 12-hour shift has less detrimental effects on
nurses burnout and fatigue (Webster et al., 2018). There was, however, no difference between
the two shift patterns on quality of patient care (Webster et al., 2018).
The objective of the second article was to look at the impact of introduction of 12-hour
nursing shifts in critical care and how that shift pattern compares with the 8-hour shift pattern.

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Just like the first study, this study is important because its findings provide important source of
information for deciding the most suitable shift pattern to adopt in hospitals. The study found
that shifting from 8-hour to 12-hour shift pattern had no effect on quality of care that patients
received (Battle & Temblett, 2018). However, nurses working under 12-hour shift pattern
reported less burnout and fatigue compared to those who worked under 8-hour shift pattern
(Battle & Temblett, 2018).
Method of study
Both studies employed quantitative research method. This approach seeks to quantify a
problem through collecting data using various data sources such as surveys. The data is then
analysed using statistical and mathematical methods to produce useful information that can be
acted on.
In the study by Webster et al., the researchers conducted their study in a hospital which
changed its shift pattern from 8-hour to 12-hour shift pattern. The research was conducted in two
phases. The first phase was conducted in 2015 when the hospital was using 8-hour shift pattern
for its nursing staff. The second phase was conducted in 2017 when the hospital had changed its
shift pattern from 8-hour to 12-hour shift. During both phases of the study, data was collected
from nurses using questionnaires that had both open and close-ended questions. As for
comparison of patient outcomes between the two shifts, the researchers collected data from the
hospital’s own register (Webster et al., 2018).
In the second study conducted by Battle and Temblett, the researchers gathered data in a
single hospital which had both an 8-hour and 12-hour shift pattern. Like it was the case in the
first study by Webster et al., the researchers used questionnaires to gather data on various aspects

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of nurse fatigue and burnout such as depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. To get
information on the outcomes of the two shift patterns on quality of care provided to patients, the
researchers used data from the hospital on levels of clinical incidents reported for each of the two
shifts (Battle & Temblett, 2018).
As a look at the methods shows, the two studies employed relatively similar methods,
particularly the use of questionnaires. This methodology has both strengths and weaknesses. Its
main strength is that it gives a high level of anonymity to nurses used in the research. Thus, the
data collected is likely to be objective.
The main weakness of both studies is that they used data from a single hospital using a
relatively small sample. The results of the studies, therefore, have relatively low generalizability.
One major weakness the second study had was lack of control of other factors that may have had
an effect on the results of the study. Since the shifts were done at the same time, it would have
been difficult to determine whether a nurse on 12-hour shift was an 8-hour shift nurse working
overtime or whether a nurse on 8-hour shift was a 12-hour shift nurse who had decided to on an
8-hour shift for various reasons such as childcare. The first study by Webster et al. did not have
such a weakness because it first collected data when all nurses worked on an 8-hour shift basis
and then later when they were all on a 12-hour shift basis.
Regarding ethics, both studies did not require any ethical approval by the health board.
This is because the objective of both studies was healthcare service evaluation.
Results of the studies and outcome comparison
Both studies found that the 12-hour shift resulted in less fatigue and burnout among
nurses than the 8-hour shift. Both studies also found that there was little difference on care

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outcomes between the two shifts. The studies do not provide clues on why the 12-hour shift
seems to have less negative effects on the wellbeing of nurses as measured by fatigue and nurses.
Given that it involves working for longer hours, one may have expected that it results in higher
rates of burnout and fatigue. However, other studies have looked at reasons why this could be the
case. For instance, it has been found that working in a 12-hour shift gives nurses more control of
the days that they work in hospitals. Thus, they end up having more time to relax and spend with
their loved one. This flexibility is contrast with the 8-hour shifts which, even though involve
working for fewer hours, give nurses less control over their working days in hospital.
The results of the two studies have significant implications on nursing practice. Even
though most hospitals have been adopting the 12-hour shift pattern for nurses, many studies on
the subject have had conflicting findings with some finding that the 8-hour shift was most
suitable for well-being of nurses and led to better care outcomes while others finding that the 12-
hour shift was the better one for both patients and nurses. The two studies do not make the issue
any clearer. However, their findings that whether a hospital adopts a 12-hour shift or an 8-hour
shift the effect on quality of care is negligible may have significant impact on policy formulation
because they reinforce what other studies have found. Thus, when deciding the shift pattern to
implement, policy makers are likely to only consider the effect of the shift on well-being of
nurses.

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References

Battle, C., & Temblett, P. (2018). 12-Hour nursing shifts in critical care: A service
evaluation. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 19(3), 214-218. Retrieved on 12 th July,
2019 on
https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6110020/&hl=e
n-KE

Webster, J., McLeod, K., O’Sullivan, J., & Bird, L. (2018). Eight-hour versus 12-h shifts in an
ICU: Comparison of nursing responses and patient outcomes. Australian Critical Care.
Retrieved on 12 th July, 2019 on
https://www.australiancriticalcare.com/article/S1036-7314(18)30055-9/fulltext