Nurses’ Shift Length and Overtime Working in 12 European Countries The Association With Perceived Quality of Care and Patient Safety

Results: A total of 50% of nurses worked shifts of r8 hours, but 15% worked Z12 hours. Typical shift length varied between countries and within some countries. Nurses working for Z12 hours were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety [odds ratio (OR) = 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–1.76], poor/ fair quality of care (OR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.10–1.53), and more care activities left undone (RR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.09–1.16). Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety (OR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.51–1.86), poor/fair quality of care (OR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.23–1.42), and more care left undone (RR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.27–1.31).