Policy Brief: Nurse Fatigue, Sleep, and Health, and Ensuring Patient and Public Safety

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baldwin CM ; Berger A ; Caruso, Claire C. ; Chasens ER ; Edmonson JC ; Holmes Gobel B ; Landis CA ; Patrician PA ; Redeker NS ; Scott LD ; Todero C ; Trinkoff A ; Tucker S
• Description:
  Society needs critical nursing services around the clock and, as a result, nurses often work shift work and long work hours (SWLWH). These hours can prevent nurses from getting the seven or more hours of quality sleep each day that experts recommend (Watson, et al., 2015). Nurses on SWLWH are at risk for cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal and psychological disorders, cancer, type 2 diabetes, injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, all-cause mortality, adverse reproductive outcomes, and difficulty managing chronic diseases (Caruso, et al., 2017; Caruso & Waters, 2008; Gan, et al. 2015; Gu, et al., 2015; DHHS, 2018; IARC Monographs Vol 124 Group, 2019; NIOSH, et al., 2015; Ramin, et al., 2014; Torquati, et al., 2017). Furthermore, tired nurses are at risk for making patient care errors and drowsy driving crashes (Bae & Fabry, 2014; Ftouni, et al., 2013; Geiger-Brown, et al., 2012; Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010; Lee, et al., 2016; Trinkoff, et al., 2011). The presence of SWLWH is also related to retention issues, including nurses expressing intention-to-leave or quitting the job (Hayes, et al., 2012; Moloney, et al., 2018). These conditions also have contributed to nursing shortages in certain specialties and practice locations (Marc, et al., 2018). Shortages are a grave concern, as the population is aging and the need for nurses is projected to strongly increase (Auerbach, Buerhaus, & Staiger, 2017). Thus, interventions to reduce nursing fatigue are sorely needed. The American Academy of Nursing (the Academy) supports efforts to reduce fatigue in nurses through education, workplace policies and management systems, and fatigue countermeasures. The Academy recommends that healthcare services and standard-setting organizations establish policies to address this pervasive workplace hazard, thereby promoting nurses' health and safety along with patient and public safety. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Fatigue Health Personnel Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule
• Keywords:
  Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Long Work Hours Nurses Nursing Shift Work Shift Workers Workers
• ISSN:
  0029-6554
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSI - Division of Science Integration
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057352
• Citation:
  Nurs Outlook 2019 Sep-Oct; 67(5):615-619
• Contact Point Address:
  Claire C. Caruso, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-24, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  ccaruso@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Nursing Outlook
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a7b5bfe29fa8d1f0a2ccf8bb874b391c4f943aee6d24e2c60d6ed5d4298d507a27f3f987bf81e60d6b9238a2c020f22c38d6d199e925b3e01b3b1c4d50ecb838
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214735/cdc_214735_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 172.55 KB ]