Relationships between healthcare staff characteristics and the conduct of vital signs observations at night: results of a survey and factor analysis

Aim - To explore the association of healthcare staff with factors relevant to completing observations at night.

Design - Online survey conducted with registered nurses, midwives, healthcare support staff and student nurses who had worked at least one night shift in a National Health Service hospital in England.

Methods - Exploratory factor analysis and mixed effects regression model adjusting for role, number of night shifts worked, experience and shift patterns.

Results - Survey items were summarized into four factors: (a) workload and resources; (b) prioritization; (c) safety culture; (d) responsibility and control. Staff experience and role were associated with conducting surveillance tasks. Nurses with greater experience associated workload and resources with capacity to complete work at night. Responses of student nurses and midwives showed higher propensity to follow the protocol for conducting observations. Respondents working night shifts either exclusively or occasionally perceived that professional knowledge rather than protocol guided care tasks during night shifts.