D'Sa, Vanessa M.Ploeg, JennyFisher, Anita L.Akhtar-Danesh, NooriPeachey, Gladys2020-02-102020-02-1020182018-09-01D’Sa, V. M., Ploeg, J., Fisher, A., Akhtar-Danesh, N., & Peachey, G. (2018). Potential dangers of nursing overtime in critical care. Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 31(3), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.12927/cjnl.2018.256771910622Xhttp://dx.doi.org/10.12927/cjnl.2018.25677http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12519/131This article is not available at CUD collection. The version of scholarly record of this Article is published in Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.) (2018), available online at: https://doi.org/10.12927/cjnl.2018.25677.Around the world, registered nurses are working increasing amounts of overtime. This is particularly true in critical care environments, which experience unpredictable fluctuations in patient volume and acuity combined with a need for greater numbers of specialized nurses. Although it is commonplace, little consensus exists surrounding the effects of overtime on nursing sick time and patient outcomes. Using data from 11 different critical care units nestled within three major academic health science centres in Southern Ontario, a multilevel-model Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between nursing overtime and nursing sick time, patient mortality and patient infection incidents. Most significantly, for every 10 hours of nursing overtime worked, study findings revealed an associated 3.3-hour increase in nursing sick time. Because of the potential cost and patient care ramifications, hospitals and nurse managers are encouraged to track collective and individual paid and unpaid hours to impose appropriate limits and ensure accountability. Further qualitative research should be commissioned to explore the underlying reasons for these findings and diversify the settings and, in turn, wider application. Copyright © 2018 Longwoods Publishing.enPermission to reuse the abstract has been secured from NLM (Medline).Adverse eventHealth statusHospital mortalityHumanIntensive Care Unit (ICU)Organization and managementPersonnel managementProceduresPsychologyQualitative researchShift scheduleTime factorWorkloadCritical careHealth statusHospital mortalityShift Work ScheduleTime FactorsArticleCopyright : 2018 Longwoods Publishing.