Journal Review
Smith-Coggins R, Howard SK, Mac DT. Improving alertness and performance in emergency department physicians and nurses: The use of planned naps. Ann Emerg Med 2006; 48:596-604.
If you work the night shift in your ED and think that taking a nap would improve your performance, there is new research that backs up this claim. When 49 ED nurses and physicians took a 40-minute nap at 3 a.m. during a 12-hour night shift, they had faster reaction times at 7:30 a.m. and started a simulated intravenous catheter more quickly at the end of their shift than those who did not nap.
Night shifts interfere with circadian rhythms and can impair motor functioning and mental alertness, but the study's findings show that integrating a nap into a night work schedule can produce some performance improvements, say the researchers. However, they note that nurses who napped performed worse on a memory test taken at 4 a.m. Since this is probably a result of sleep inertia, the researchers recommend including a "wake-up" period into the time allowed for the nap.
The ED was able to implement nap periods by using staff to cover for nurses while they napped, but they say it might be necessary to add one or more nurses on the night shift to give rotating nap coverage. "Evaluating the costs and safety of napping will be difficult and will depend on the work and staffing demands of each clinical setting," wrote the researchers.
If you work the night shift in your ED and think that taking a nap would improve your performance, there is new research that backs up this claim.Subscribe Now for Access
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