Regional hospital, emergency department

The night shift now has a place for a 15-minute break

An emergency department was looking for a way for night shift staff to take a short planned nap without leaving the department.

Sector: Healthcare
Location: Estonia
Model: Unemuna
Pods: 2
Night shift staff: 60

70%of night shift staff use the pod monthly

15 minaverage nap

2pods in the staff room

Challenge

Physicians and nurses on night shifts couldn’t rest properly during breaks: the staff room had only a sofa and people coming and going. Department management knew from research that a planned nap helps maintain attention during the hardest hours of the night.

Solution

Two Unemuna pods were installed in the staff room. The model was chosen because it has no maintenance-heavy electronics, and the mattress and surfaces are easy to keep clean. It also mattered to the department that the pod can’t be locked.

„Ten or fifteen minutes in the pod at four in the morning makes a difference you feel for the rest of the shift.“

Head nurse, Regional hospital, emergency department

How it went.

Mapping the needs
We went through the shift patterns and the space with the head nurse and the head of department.
Pilot month
During the first month, the department collected feedback from staff.
One simple rule
Naps of up to 20 minutes, plus a few minutes to wake up before returning to work.

Result

The pods are used every night. Staff value most that they don’t have to leave the department to nap and that nobody disturbs them by accident. The department is considering adding pods to other units.