Napping during breaks on night shift: critical care nurse managers' perceptions.

Background: Fatigue associated with shiftwork can threaten the safety and health of nurses and the patients in their care. Napping during night shift breaks has been shown to be an effective strategy to decrease fatigue and enhance performance in a variety of work environments, but appears to have mixed support within health care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore critical care unit managers'perceptions of and experiences with their nursing staff's napping practices on night shift, including their perceptions of the benefits and barriers to napping/not napping in terms of patient safety and nurses'personal health and safety.

Benefits of napping on night shifts.

Many nurses deliver care when they are fatigued and sleep deprived, which may place them and patients at risk. A qualitative study found restorative napping on breaks during night shifts helped to improve energy, mood, decision-making and vigilance. This article looks at the benefits night napping can offer nurses doing shift work.

Napping during night shift: practices, preferences, and perceptions of critical care and emergency department nurses.

Background: Nurses working night shifts are at risk for sleep deprivation, which threatens patient and nurse safety. Little nursing research has addressed napping, an effective strategy to improve performance, reduce fatigue, and increase vigilance.

Objective: To explore nurses' perceptions, experiences, barriers, and safety issues related to napping/not napping during night shift.

Spacelabs Innovative Project Award winner--2008. Megacode simulation workshop and education video--a megatonne of care and Code blue: live and interactive.

Skill acquisition and knowledge translation of best practices can be successfully facilitated using simulation methods. The 2008 Spacelabs Innovative Project Award was awarded for a unique training workshop that used simulation in the area of cardiac life support and resuscitation to train multiple health care personnel in basic and advanced skills. The megacode simulation workshop and education video was an educational event held in 2007 in Winnipeg, MB, for close to 60 participants and trainers from multiple disciplines across the provinces of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

Family presence during resuscitation: Canadian critical care nurses' perspectives.

Purpose: As part of a larger online survey examining the practices and preferences of Canadian critical care nurses regarding family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) of adult family members, the purpose of the study was to explicate salient issues about the practice of FPDR identified by nurses who responded to the qualitative portion of the survey.

Design: Descriptive, qualitative.

Methods: As part of an online survey, participants were given the opportunity to provide qualitative comments about their personal or professional experiences with FPDR.