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12-Hour Shift Pattern

12-hour shift is increasingly becoming common in many healthcare facilities. However,
despite growing adoption of this shift pattern, there remain serious concerns about its impact on
patient care and well-being of the nurses. Without respectful consideration and addressing of
these concerns, the 12-hour shift may end up having negative effects on healthcare.
Overview of the problem
A shift pattern adopted by a healthcare facility should be one that balances the needs of
patients and those of nurses (Dall’ora et al., 2015). In fact, the two are interconnected because
patients need nurses to be in good mental and physical state to take care of them well.
Several studies have shown that a 12-hour shift does not achieve this balance. The shift
pattern has been found to contribute to burnout, fatigue, and physical strain among nurses
(Dall’ora et al., 2015). These effects have led to less job satisfaction and, more significantly,
poor performance of duties exhibited by decreased vigilance, leaving important care undone, and
being prone to making errors (Wilson et al., 2017). Thus, the 12-hour shift has generally had a
negative effect on quality of care that patients receive.
Why the 12-hour shift should be studied
Despite many studies finding that a 12-hour shift has generally detrimental effects on
both nurses and patients, there are some that have found positive effects of the shift pattern. For
instance, some studies have found that when nurses perform 12-hour shifts three times a week
patients enjoy continued of care that is not possible with shorter shift patterns (Harris et al.,

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2015). Given these conflicting conclusions about 12-hour shift pattern, it is important that further
studies be done on the issue with all variables being taken into consideration.
Conclusion
As the 12-hour shift pattern has grown in popularity so has been focus on it. Most studies
have generally concluded that the shift pattern has adverse effects on both nurses and patients. A
few studies, however, have revealed that there could be some positive effects of the shift pattern.
In view of these conflicting findings, it is important that further studies be done on the subject.

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References

Dall’Ora, C., Griffiths, P., Ball, J., Simon, M., & Aiken, L. H. (2015). Association of 12 h shifts
and nurses’ job satisfaction, burnout and intention to leave: findings from a cross-
sectional study of 12 European countries. BMJ open, 5(9), e008331.
Harris, R., Sims, S., Parr, J., & Davies, N. (2015). Impact of 12 h shift patterns in nursing: a
scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 52(2), 605-634.
Wilson, M., Permito, R., English, A., Albritton, S., Coogle, C., & Van Dongen, H. P. (2017).
Performance and sleepiness in nurses working 12-h day shifts or night shifts in a
community hospital. Accident Analysis & Prevention.