The Impacts of an Unhealthy Lifestyle on Nurses
Disciplines
Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The increased workload on the nurses has led to nurses skipping their breaks or going long hours without taking one, which means they are going prolonged hours without eating or drinking anything. There are known health risks to going extended periods of time without eating and drinking, such as dehydration and fatigue. This could impact the nurse’s performance and lead to possible errors. Would allowing the nurses easier access to food and water benefit their performance by helping reduce the incidence of medication errors occurring? A broad search in Kennesaw State University library databases resulted in 5 articles that met the inclusion criteria determined for this proposal. Research shows that nurses are facing an increased workload that is leading to unhealthy eating habits and affecting their mental well-being. Also, a positive correlation was found between healthy eating habits and mental well-being. The nurses who maintained healthier eating habits reported a higher mental well-being score than those who weren’t maintaining healthy eating habits. The proposed change is to allow the nurses snacks and drinks at the nurse’s station to encourage the nurses to maintain healthy eating habits. Since there is a correlation between eating habits and the nurse’s mental health, the goal is to determine if there is a decrease in the number of medication errors occurring once the nurses gain easier access to food and drinks during their shifts. After a 3-month trial period, the number of medication errors that occurred can be calculated and compared against the previous 3-month period.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kristi Brannen
The Impacts of an Unhealthy Lifestyle on Nurses
The increased workload on the nurses has led to nurses skipping their breaks or going long hours without taking one, which means they are going prolonged hours without eating or drinking anything. There are known health risks to going extended periods of time without eating and drinking, such as dehydration and fatigue. This could impact the nurse’s performance and lead to possible errors. Would allowing the nurses easier access to food and water benefit their performance by helping reduce the incidence of medication errors occurring? A broad search in Kennesaw State University library databases resulted in 5 articles that met the inclusion criteria determined for this proposal. Research shows that nurses are facing an increased workload that is leading to unhealthy eating habits and affecting their mental well-being. Also, a positive correlation was found between healthy eating habits and mental well-being. The nurses who maintained healthier eating habits reported a higher mental well-being score than those who weren’t maintaining healthy eating habits. The proposed change is to allow the nurses snacks and drinks at the nurse’s station to encourage the nurses to maintain healthy eating habits. Since there is a correlation between eating habits and the nurse’s mental health, the goal is to determine if there is a decrease in the number of medication errors occurring once the nurses gain easier access to food and drinks during their shifts. After a 3-month trial period, the number of medication errors that occurred can be calculated and compared against the previous 3-month period.