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Thesis Defence: Sleep Health and Nursing
September 2 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Niki Soroush-Asghari, supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Keys, will defend their thesis titled “Sleep Health and Nursing: Considerations for the Transition to Practice” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing.
An abstract for Niki Soroush-Asghari’s thesis is included below.
Defences are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Please email Elizabeth.Keys@ubc.ca to receive the Zoom link for this defence.
Abstract
Background: Poor sleep health is common among nurses and has significant effects on physical and mental health, patient safety, and workplace sustainability. While many factors can affect the transition to practice, including shift work, sleep health has not been extensively examined in the context of new nurse transition or how considering sleep health may extend our understanding of how to better support nurses entering the profession.
Objectives: (1) synthesize the evidence on sleep health among pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students and new graduate nurses in Canada and the USA; (2) describe sleep quality among nurses working different shift schedules through a systematic review and meta-analysis; (3) examine theoretical, practice, and research implications of how a better understanding of sleep health could support entry into the profession.
Methods: A scoping review following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework synthesized cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examining one or more dimensions of sleep health (duration, quality, daytime alertness, and sleep disturbances) among pre-licensure nursing students and new graduate nurses within the first year of practice in Canada and the USA. A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines synthesized studies reporting Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores among nurses working day, night, and rotating shifts. Findings were integrated within Duchscher’s Transition and Transition Shock Theory
Results: The 33 included studies in the scoping review demonstrated that poor sleep health was present during education, continued through clinical placements, and persisted in early practice. Academic workload, stress, and clinical scheduling were associated with poor sleep. The 41 studies included in the systematic review and meta-analysis found clinically significant poor sleep quality across all shift types, with the poorest sleep observed among those working night shifts.
Conclusion: Poor sleep health exists across nursing education and the transition to practice. Closer attention to sleep health as a potential component of new nurse transition may extend understanding of Transition Shock. Findings suggest that integrating sleep health earlier into nursing education, greater attention to structural contributors to poor sleep, and the development of interventions to promote sleep health could support nurses as they enter and stay in the profession.
