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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06829979

Improving Night Shift Nurses' Health and Reducing Burnout

Healthy and happy nurses are essential to ensuring optimal patient outcomes and organizational success. The evidence on the negative impacts of night shift on nurses' health and cognitive function, and their implications on patient outcomes and organizational costs, reflect the need for interventions to mitigate these detrimental outcomes.

This pilot, feasibility, clinical trial will examine the feasibility of two fatigue countermeasure interventions (access to napping/relaxation room and use of blue/green light blocking glass during night shift) and explore the interventions effects on nurses' health, missed care, and burnout.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Burnout, Psychological Fatigue Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UPMC Shadyside

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States

About this study

Aim 1 (Primary): Examine the feasibility of a larger study and hospital-wide implementation of two fatigue countermeasure interventions (access to napping/relaxation rooms and use of blue/green light blocking glass during night shift).

Aim 2 (Exploratory): Explore the effects of the interventions on melatonin levels, overall health, sleep, fatigue, cognitive function, missed care, nurse burnout, and salivary melatonin levels.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being a registered nurse at UPMC Shadyside (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Working full-time night or rotating shifts
  • Willing to wear a Fitbit around-the-clock during the study
  • Willing to use nap/relaxation room and glasses only when assigned to that condition
  • Willing to provide saliva samples

Exclusion criteria

  • Having a diagnosed sleep disorder (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, or shift work disorder)
  • Currently being treated for a serious mental illness
  • Needing to use eye glasses to complete work related activities (note: contact lenses are acceptable)
  • Use of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aides including melatonin

Treatment and study plan

Access to napping/relaxation room

Behavioral

During the night shift, study participants will have access to the hospital unit's napping/relaxation room with a sound machine, diffusers for aromatherapy, a massage chair that can be used for napping, and snacks.

Blue and green light blocking glasses

Other

During the night shift, participants will be asked wear study-provided blue and green light blocking glasses.

Primary outcomes

  1. Recruitment rate

    Time frame: 2 months

    Number of potential participants screened in order to enroll 8 participants

  2. Attrition rate

    Time frame: 4 months

    Percentage of enrolled participants completing the intervention as a whole and its three conditions

  3. Completeness of questionnaire responses

    Time frame: 4 months

    Percentage of completed responses

  4. Melatonin collection

    Time frame: 4 months

    Number of salivary melatonin samples collected

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in physical health between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes the in PROMIS Global Health 10-item Measure, Physical Health sub-scale T-score.

    T-score ranges from 16.2 to 67.7 with 50.0 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean.

    Higher scores represent better physical health.

  2. Changes in mental health between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes the in PROMIS Global Health 10-item Measure, Mental Health sub-scale T-score.

    T-score ranges from 21.2 to 67.6 with 50.0 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean.

    Higher scores represent better mental health.

  3. Changes in Multidimensional Sleep Health between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes in RSATED survey scores Total score ranges from 0 to 12 with higher scores representing better sleep health.

  4. Changes in sleep distrubance between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance 8-item Measure T-scores. T-score ranges from 28.9 to 76.5.7 with 50.0 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean.

    Higher scores represent more sleep disturbances.

  5. Changes in sleep-related impairment between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes in PROMIS Sleep-related Impairment 8-item Measure T-scores. T-score ranges from 30.2 to 80.1 with 50.0 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean. Higher scores represent more sleep-related impairment.

  6. Change in sleep duration between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Change in mean actigraphic sleep duration

  7. Change in sleep efficiency between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Change in mean actigraphic sleep efficiency

  8. Change in fatigue between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Change in PROMIS Fatigue 7-item Measure T-scores. T-score ranges from 29.4 to 83.2 with 50.0 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean. Higher scores represent more fatigue.

  9. Change in cognition function between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Change in PROMIS Cognitive Function 8-item Measure T-scores. T-score ranges from 22.41 to 83.2 with 63.48 (standard deviation of 10) being the population mean. Higher scores represent better cognitive function.

  10. Change in burnout between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Change in Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scores. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory has three sub-scales measuring personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout. Sub-scales scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores representing greater burnout.

  11. Changes in missed care between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes in Tasks Undone-12 Scale scores. Scores range from 0 to 12 with higher scores representing more undone nursing tasks.

  12. Changes in salivary melatonin levels between baseline and the three conditions

    Time frame: 3 months

    Changes in salivary melatonin levels

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Other

Collaborators

  • Shadyside Hospital Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

A Pilot, Feasibility Study to Improve Night Shift Nurses' Health and Reduce Burnout

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Feb 17, 2025
Registry last updated
Jan 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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