Examination of Nurses State Anxiety and Their Tendency to Medical Error at Different Working Hours
Abstract
Sevil Telli and Leyla Khorshid
Objective: This prospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study was implemented with the aim of comparing the state anxiety of nurses and their tendency for nursing medical error during day working and night shifts.
Methods: The study was conducted between 30 November 2012 and 30 May 2013 with 317 nurses in four different state hospitals. Data were collected using an Individual Identification Form, the Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Nursing Medical Mistake Scale.
Results: The Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Nursing Medical Mistake Scale were applied to the same nurses during their day and night shifts. It was determined that nurses experienced state anxiety during both day and night shifts. Work units, antidepressant use and caring for children affected the state anxiety experienced by nurses during day and night shifts. It was determined that the error tendency of most of the nurses was related to the administration of medication and transfusion, nosocomial infections and patient monitoring and equipment safety more during the night shift than during the day shift. It was found that the tendency of approximately half of the nurses to make mistakes in communication was twice as much on the night shift as on the day shift.
Conclusion: There was a difference in medical error tendencies and state anxiety between the day and night shifts. State anxiety and error tendencies were higher during the day shift.