Nurses struggled with concentration at night and therefore had to check medications several times. Due to physical and mental fatigue, nurses had difficulty performing nursing procedures and they made medication errors or failed to respond to changes in patients’ status. Several studies have shown a significant inverse relationship between fewer hours of sleep and increased patient care errors. Patients’ safety may be compromised due to night shift nurses’ sleep deprivation. Another issue was an increased risk of driving accidents due to sleep deprivation when driving home. This increased their risk of being infected, which caused fear. Accidents often occurred early in the morning when nurses were exhausted. showed that occupational accidents, such as needle stitch lesions, were more prevalent among nurses when they were working nights. For example, in a study based on focus group discussions with 103 nurses, Phiri et al. Working nights also threatened nurses’ own safety. When working nights, more occupational errors associated with sleep deprivation were reported. Health issues may also influence nurses’ job performance. Serious health issues have been reported, including a risk for increased sleep insomnia, sleep deprivation, anxiety, increased depression, burnout, increased Body Mass Index (BMI), hypertension, back pain, chronic fatigue, attention and concentration problems, feeling of discomfort, fatigue, mood swings, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disease, and increased cancer risk. revealed that being overtired from work was a major challenge to leading a healthy lifestyle. Serious health issues have been documented in relation to working at night. revealed that working nights influenced social life and could lead to health problems. Furthermore, a quantitative study with 50 Brazilian night shift nurses conducted by Cordeiro et al. They reported feeling moody and irritable, which occasionally triggered family conflicts. In their study, nurses reported having insufficient time to manage their personal and home responsibilities. showed that nurses working nights found limited family time and ability to resolve family conflicts. The same issues were seen across cultures and across gender roles. reported that American nurses working nights had a high risk of family stressors. Some even chose to give up sleep entirely to meet family obligations. A phenomenological study with interviews of 21 American nurses found that nurses encountered difficulties getting adequate rest due to family responsibilities and/ or circadian rhythm disturbances. Night shifts mainly have negative consequences, even though an Australian study showed that night shifts provided flexibility for family and social activities. Working night shift negatively effects the total life situation of the nurse, but insight into the work situation may open for improvement. Unfortunately, working nights affects their well-being and self-esteem, family life, childcare and relationship with their spouse and significant others, including friends and extended family. Nurses working nights are a vital part of the healthcare workforce as patients depend on professional nursing 24 hours a day.
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