Poll: nurse fatigue levels over the last 48 hrs.

An interesting document from Canada laying out some best practice strategies for minimising fatigue in the nursing workforce that is worth skimming through for some good information. Preventing and mitigating Nurse fatigue in Health Care. Nursing work that involves extreme physical, cognitive and emotional demands (e.g. nursing in medical-surgical, critical care, and peri-operative areas) has been shown to increase the likelihood of inadequate or poor sleep, anxiety, depression and absenteeism. Work-related fatigue has also been associated with higher rates of injury, divorce, domestic abuse and chemical impairment. Sleep durations of four hours or less have also been associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression, as well as other psychiatric disorders, while sleep deprivation and extended work hours have been associated with driving impairment. Nurse fatigue is often associated with frequent shift rotation, and is further exacerbated by a culture that expects nurses and other health-care staff to work long hours and forego sleep. Nurse fatigue is linked to patient safety risks, performance, errors, personal health, and recruitment and retention of nurses. It is imperative that the critical relationship between nurse fatigue and patient safety be addressed from the perspective of creating healthy work environments for nurses as well as their employers…..” ….Nurses and other health-care practitioners do not always recognize their own levels...
Source: impactEDnurse - Category: Nurses Authors: Tags: the nurses desk: Source Type: blogs