Sagherian, McNeely, C. A., & Steege, L. M. (2021). Did rest breaks help with acute fatigue among nursing staff on 12h shifts during the COVID19 pandemic? A crosssectional study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(12), 47114721.

Did rest breaks help with acute fatigue among nursing staff on 12h shifts during the COVID19 pandemic? A crosssectional study
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Journal of advanced nursing, 2021-12, Vol.77 (12), p.4711-4721
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Description
Aim This study aimed to explore whether 30min rest breaks were as effective at lowering acute fatigue among 12h shift hospital nursing staff who cared for patients with COVID19 as among those who did not. Design The study was crosssectional in design. Methods Data from the SAFECARE study collected online between May and June 2020 were used. A subsample (N = 338) comprised of nursing staff who reported working 12h shifts, and providing direct patient care in hospitals was used in this study. Data on sociodemographics, work and rest breaks, and subjective measures of fatigue, psychological distress, sleep and health were used. Hierarchical multiple linear regression followed by stratified analyses was conducted to explore the relationships between rest breaks and acute fatigue among nursing staff groups with and without COVID19 patient care. Results The sample, on average, had high acute fatigue. Around 72% reported providing care to patients with COVID19, and 71% reported taking rest breaks sometimes, often or always. In the group that cared for patients with COVID19, there was no significant relationship between rest breaks and acute fatigue (p = .507). In the group that cared for patients hospitalized for other reasons, rest breaks were associated with lower acute fatigue (p = .010). Conclusion Our findings showed both the importance and inadequacy of rest breaks in reducing acute fatigue. The process of withinwork recovery is complex, and routine rest breaks should be facilitated by nursing management on hospital units during and after the COVID19 pandemic. Impact Rest breaks may present an effective strategy in lowering fatigue. Although rest breaks were not associated with less fatigue among staff caring for patients with COVID19, other coworkers experienced some fatigue recovery. For frontline nursing staff, routine rest breaks are encouraged, and a systematic evaluation pertaining the sufficiency of rest breaks during high work demands in future research is needed.
Publisher
Oxford: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Source
Wiley Online Library All Journals
MEDLINE – Academic