Lighting at night

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Mar 10, 2009

When we keep the lights out/low, they sleep better, which means less call lights to answer, less pain pills to fetch, less Ativan to fetch, less Ambien to fetch. I would rather grab a cup of coffee to stay awake and use the flashlight, than keep getting prns for awake patients.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Mar 10, 2009

i am pro dimming. My unit could not dim the lights - only shut off certain fixtures - though the outcome was essentailly the same - dimmer hallway except those rooms right across from the nurses' station. My dad got me a red led penlight that i could use during midnight rounds to check things that i didn't necessarily have to wake a patient for like iv bag levels (i am also one of those neurotics that likes to round every so often just to make sure that everyone is still in bed and still alive) that worked out well because it gave me just enough light and the red does not interfere with sleep the same way that a white light does. GooeyRN is totally on the mark that low light causes better sleep and happier patients (and happier nurses).

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Mar 10, 2009

as a patient i really do not care either way. I can sleep with or without light so that is not an issue for me. I just wish there were less things they needed to do at night, however for the things the DO need to do I wish they would wake me up, aka blood pressure (mne plumets when I sleep so they will attempt to do it while i sleep then wake me up in a panic after they were unable to get it twice)

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2009

Our hall lights go off and nurses' station main lighting is off (just pendant lights, which is more than enough to see by) at 2200; they go back on at 0600. It's the psychological "It's night time, time for visitors to go home and patients to go to bed" effect that we're aiming for.

lisaksemt, ADN, BSN · Mar 10, 2009

With the lights dimmed, i can still do a very basic assessment, give IV meds and even program the pumps (by feel). If the patient sleeps through it or barely wakes up, all the better.

Aneroo, LPN · Mar 10, 2009

We turn off the hall lights after everyone finishes their 9pm med pass. Pt room lights out at 11, unless they request them left on. Each room had a built in night light, we would turn those on. We turned them off at pt request, but then would turn on the bathroom light and leave the door cracked a little so the rooms weren't pitch black. We kept the nursing station lights on. I never had a problem with this arrangement on night shift. I know I have trouble sleeping with lights on, so I feel it is only fair to the patients to have the hall lights out. There is enough light from the nurses station to see your way down the hall and not trip on anything. Sometimes it is a little difficult to see the MAR in the hallway, though, so a pen light is handy.

The only concern I would have with that is the increased fall risk.

miko014 · Mar 10, 2009

I think that for the most part, we can see well enough with the lights dimmed. If not, we can always flip on the low lights - or turn them all the way if we need to. I think it's better because it really does give the sense that it's night time, time to sleep! The only falling/tripping I would worry about would be if there are cords or anything in the way in the pt's rooms - but those would be darker anyway if the pt wants to sleep. Of course the risk is always there, but there isn't supposed to be a bunch of junk in the hallways anyway, so if we do what we are supposed to do, then we should be fine.

allnurses Guide · Mar 10, 2009

Pro-dimming here. We've always done it and I've never considered that others don't. Interesting. We dim the lights about 9 p.m. too and then about 6 a.m. "undim" them.

The rooms themselves have dimmer lights as an option over the bed.

I'm the one who goes around turning out unnecessary lights by the way. I lived during the Carter era . ... if you leave a room, turn out the light.

steph