Tiredness Takes Its Toll: An Integrative Review on Sleep and Occupational Outcomes for Long-Term Care Workers

Abstract

Poor sleep quality and duration among health care professionals have negative impacts on worker safety, work readiness, and well-being. However, the consequences of impaired sleep among long-term care (LTC) workers remain understudied. The current integrative review sought to explore associations between sleep and occupational outcomes in LTC workers. Multiple database searches yielded 1,543 articles; nine articles met inclusion criteria. Results synthesized from included articles revealed sleep-associated occupational outcomes across three themes, Burnout/Fatigue , Mental and Physical Health , and Well-Being , which may affect performance measures and predict injuries/errors. Exploring outcomes of poor sleep quality and duration among LTC workers has highlighted the needs of this population and may inform future intervention development. LTC organizations should consider implementing strategies to better support the sleep quality of their workforce. In addition, further research is needed to explore how impaired sleep contributes to negative worker outcomes and patient care quality. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49 (1), 27–33.]