How the other half lives / Mary Lawson Carney

By there very nature, hospitals require a certain proportion of employees to work nonstandard hours (night shift). This is how it's always been, and will always be. However, until very recently, the impact of these nonstandard schedules on the personal and professional lives of night workers has only been anecdotally reported. This study documents the differences these night workers experience (compared with their day-shift counterparts) -- particularly how hospital practices impact the ability of these workers to sleep during nonworking hours. The first part of this article presents the data gathered from a study of 450-plus night-shift healthcare workers. From this data, the principal investigator developed four foundational characteristics of a night-shift friendly hospital. Study shows that night-shift workers are less engaged, feel disrespected, and are often treated differently than there day-shift counterparts when it comes to their needed sleep and rest.

Nursing