Twelve-hour shift on ITU: a nursing evaluation

This paper describes the introduction and subsequent evaluation of a 12-h shift system in a large ITU in the northeast of UK. To date, only a small number of studies has evaluated nurses working the 12-h shifts in critical care areas. To evaluate the level of staff satisfaction, data were collected by means of a questionnaire involving 41 nurses, at 3 months following the introduction of the 12-h shifts. The responses from the evaluation advocated the continuation of 12-h shifts with alternative shift patterns for nurses who felt dissatisfied with the current system. Twelve-hour shifts can be seen as a flexible system for nurses working in intensive care and may assist with staff satisfaction and improving nurse recruitment and retention.