Do nurses who smoke get more breaks?

For many working nurses, taking a break is challenging. For smokers, work-breaks are necessary to avoid nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Conflict occurs between nurses who smoke and those who don't because smokers are perceived to take more breaks, however there are no data to support this. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between nurses' self-reported smoking status and work-breaks during shifts in hospital settings. We explored the relationship between personal (including smoking status), professional, and work-site variables associated with missing scheduled breaks (often/always vs never/frequently) using a web-based survey of 3363 nurses working in US-based Magnet-designated facilities. The majority were non-smokers (91%), Caucasian (88%), and worked in non-medical-surgical units (54%); mean age 43 years; 59% of smokers smoked < 60 minutes after awakening. Multivariate logistic regression determined that smoking status, age, race, and clinical unit were related to missing a break. Non-smokers were almost twice as likely to miss a break (OR= 1.91, CI 1.48-2.48). Older nurses (OR = 1.02, CI 1.01, 1.02), and those working in an ER (OR=1.56, CI 1.15, 2.13) or intensive care units (1.49, 1.17, 1.89) were more likely to miss breaks compared to those in medical-surgical units. Non-Caucasians were less likely to miss breaks (OR = .55, CI .43-.69). Taking scheduled breaks is important for all workers' health. Non-smokers are less likely to take a break potentially compromising their health as well as patient care. These findings suggest that addiction to nicotine is a powerful factor in determining who takes a break.