Abstract

At times, night shift nurses had little or no recollection of their commute home emphasizing the exhaustion experienced after working an overnight shift. Night To Light Revive Before You Drive is a project aimed to increase safety awareness to combat drowsy driving among night shift nurses through targeted interventions promoting wellness and safety. This in turn, positively enhanced the work environment, decreased the job burnout scores and lowered the night shift RN Vacancy and Turnover rates.

The Night to Light Revive Before You Drive is a pre-post interventional study design with an implementation timeline of twelve months focused on awareness and intervention campaigns. Wellness Fairs were also conducted during night shift including sleep coaching education and stress reduction techniques. Additional interventions included the distribution of rolling carts with fresh coffee and snacks during night shift. The project also produced a video documentary featuring night shift nurses evoking empathy and vigilance about the effects of drowsy driving. A mobile application website was also created (nighttolight.org) with features connected to a curated Spotify playlist to keep night shift nurses alert during their journey home.

The project implemented three Zen Nooks complete with massage chairs in the Medical-Surgical units and the Operating Room. Additional chairs were purchased for the Labor and Delivery department to optimize relaxation during break times. A Hydration Center was designated in the facility to emphasize the importance of water intake to prevent lethargy when driving home. The project also offered Uber coupons as an alternative to driving home. Furthermore, a partnership with executive nursing leadership was collaborated to give night shift nurses direct access to the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and provided opportunity to support a healthy work environment.

The Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool Registered Nurses (HWEAT-RN), Drowsy Driving and Safety Survey and the Compassion Fatigue Burnout Scale was completed at baseline and post-interventions among night shift nurses in a suburban hospital setting. Post interventions showed decrease in fatigued driving and increase in utilization of strategies to stay awake while driving. Job burnout scores were reduced across all departments, and a decrease in the RN vacancy and turnover rates were noted. Moreover, all healthy work environment indicators were boosted post interventions.

Notes

Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.

Reference list included in attached slide deck.

Description

Focus: Non-academic education/professional development

Status: Completed Work/Project

Night shift nurses at times had little or no recollection of their commute home stressing the exhaustion experienced after an overnight shift. By addressing the unique challenges faced by night shift RNs, the project aimed to increase safety awareness and combat drowsy driving. Through targeted interventions focused on proactive measures and promoting the health and safety of night nurses, the project contributed to overall workplace safety, improve the wellness and enhance the work environment.

Author Details

Imelda S, Oca,  MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC; Grace Marie Delgado, BSN, CCRN, Mary Ann Sison, BSN; Armie Poralan, BSN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Pretest-Posttest

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Workforce, Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Stress and Coping, Night Shift Nurses, Drowsy Driving, Safe Commuting Practices

Conference Name

37th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Conference Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-07-22

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Night To Light Revive Before You Drive

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

At times, night shift nurses had little or no recollection of their commute home emphasizing the exhaustion experienced after working an overnight shift. Night To Light Revive Before You Drive is a project aimed to increase safety awareness to combat drowsy driving among night shift nurses through targeted interventions promoting wellness and safety. This in turn, positively enhanced the work environment, decreased the job burnout scores and lowered the night shift RN Vacancy and Turnover rates.

The Night to Light Revive Before You Drive is a pre-post interventional study design with an implementation timeline of twelve months focused on awareness and intervention campaigns. Wellness Fairs were also conducted during night shift including sleep coaching education and stress reduction techniques. Additional interventions included the distribution of rolling carts with fresh coffee and snacks during night shift. The project also produced a video documentary featuring night shift nurses evoking empathy and vigilance about the effects of drowsy driving. A mobile application website was also created (nighttolight.org) with features connected to a curated Spotify playlist to keep night shift nurses alert during their journey home.

The project implemented three Zen Nooks complete with massage chairs in the Medical-Surgical units and the Operating Room. Additional chairs were purchased for the Labor and Delivery department to optimize relaxation during break times. A Hydration Center was designated in the facility to emphasize the importance of water intake to prevent lethargy when driving home. The project also offered Uber coupons as an alternative to driving home. Furthermore, a partnership with executive nursing leadership was collaborated to give night shift nurses direct access to the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and provided opportunity to support a healthy work environment.

The Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool Registered Nurses (HWEAT-RN), Drowsy Driving and Safety Survey and the Compassion Fatigue Burnout Scale was completed at baseline and post-interventions among night shift nurses in a suburban hospital setting. Post interventions showed decrease in fatigued driving and increase in utilization of strategies to stay awake while driving. Job burnout scores were reduced across all departments, and a decrease in the RN vacancy and turnover rates were noted. Moreover, all healthy work environment indicators were boosted post interventions.