Feasibility of a light intervention study on alertness and sleep of nightshift working nurses

Abstract

Title: feasibility of a light intervention study on alertness and sleep of nightshift working nurses. Background: nightshifts are common for nurses when working in direct patient care. Working during the night causes a deterioration in circadian rhythm, which causes a decreased alertness and increased fatigue. This increases risks of errors during nightshifts and could cause health problems as sleepiness. Among various tips to adjust the rhythm, light exposure in general works to adjust the rhythm, but especially the blueish component seems to generate a stronger effect. Aim: the effect of blue light should be tested in an intervention study, the first step is to determine the methodology. Therefore this study aims to test the feasibility of a light intervention on alertness and sleep of nightshift working nurses. Method: feasibility was tested on three areas: acceptability, demand and practicality. A survey among 676 nurses in the Netherlands explored the first two areas and a small scale field study was used to assess the practicality mostly. Results: nurses apply several methods to adjust their rhythm to the nightshift, therefore the light glasses could become part of their routine. Most nurses however are not familiar with the effects of a light intervention. The glasses have been tested positively and do not interfere with daily work activities. Conclusion: although applying a light intervention is not known among nurses that work nightshifts, using light glasses might be a suitable intervention for better adjustment. Recommendations: there is a lot of variation between the current work situation and the preferred. When testing the intervention in future research the views of nurses should also be taken into account because they could affect the outcomes.