Dehydration of nurses working in the day shift and its factors: A multicenter cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Objective: Dehydration has a risk of reducing cognitive function, which can lead to misjudgment by nurses. Nurses are required to be in optimal physical and mental conditions since their misjudgments affect the lives of patients. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent dehydration in nurses; however, the prevalence and factors of dehydration in nurses have not been clarified. This study aimed to clarify dehydration prevalence in nurses and examine dehydration factors before and after their shift. Methods: Data were collected during the day shift of 115 registered nurses in 19 wards of 2 hospitals in Japan. Urine specific gravity (USG) and body weight were measured before and after the shift to determine dehydration. Questionnaires, including demographic characteristics and fluid intake, were recorded before and after their shift. Multivariate analysis was performed based on the fluid intake, number of steps, and years of experience as dehydration factors. Results: Overall, 59 (51.3%) and 82 (71.3%) nurses were dehydrated before and after their shift, respectively. USG before the shift (odds ratio [OR]: 2.328, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.424-3.807) and years of experience (OR: 0.946, 95% CI: 0.899-0.996) were factors related to dehydration at the end of the shift. USG before the shift (OR: 2.573, 95% CI: 1.347-4.914) was also a factor related to dehydration factors after the shift for beginner nurses. Conclusions: Over 70% of nurses were dehydrated after their shift. USG before the shift and years of experience were related to dehydration after the shift. To prevent dehydration, it is desirable for managers to encourage beginner nurses to drink water.