Shift work linked to burnout in sleep-deprived nurses

Shift-work nurses who have sleep problems are more likely to experience career burnout that has the potential to compromise their job performance, a small Italian study suggests.

Researchers studied 315 nurses who worked rotating shifts in 39 wards of seven Italian hospitals. Each week, nurses worked an average of 36 hours and typically had at least one shift starting in the morning, the afternoon and the evening.

Overall, 52 percent of the nurses reported sleep difficulties and 31 percent reported feelings of career burnout.