title: [How nursing staff perceive the duration and quality of sleep and levels of alertness].
abstract: This study was conducted among health care personnel (registered nurses and nurse aides) in a public hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Work was organized in 12-hour daytime or nighttime shifts, followed by 36 hours off. The study aimed to evaluate how the nursing staff perceived the duration and quality of sleep both during and off work days, as well as their perception of alertness during working hours. There were significant differences between night and day in the duration of sleep (Student t test = 10.82; p < 0.000). Quality of daytime sleep after working night shifts was perceived as worse than nighttime sleep (Wilcoxon test, Z = 2.67; p < 0.007). Significant differences were detected in self-evaluation of alertness after the 2nd, 6th, and 10th hour of night shifts (Friedman = 63.0; p < 0.00). Alertness was perceived as worse during dawn hours. This is an indication of sleepiness at work and can have serious consequences for both health care workers and patients.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 01246-904, Brasil.
authors.forename: Frida Marina
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Liliane Reis
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Flavio Notarnicola da Silva
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Marina Brandão Lourenço
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Goncalves
authors.forename: Regiane Miranda
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009728:Nursing Assistants; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D016272:Occupational Health; D010465:Perception; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance