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Showing results for tags 'Working hours'.
Found 71 results
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Content Article
Poster - Working well at night (RCOA, 8 November 2018)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Staff safety
This poster by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, The Association of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine outlines practical principles for minimising the impact of fatigue for staff working night shifts. It includes tips for what to do before nights, during nights and between nights and advice on recovery after nights. -
Content Article
Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society (1 November 2021)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Workforce and resources
Regulators, organisations, communities and workers often struggle with how to manage shift duration and address associated risks from fatigue and sleepiness, while continuing to meet the societal demands for work. This article in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine proposes a series of guiding principles help design a shift duration decision-making process that effectively balances the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks. -
Content ArticleHealthcare is a $4 trillion component of the US economy, and the well-being of the clinician workforce is a major factor determining its effectiveness. Extensive evidence indicates that inefficiency, poorly designed workflows and processes, suboptimal teamwork, work overload, isolation, problems with work-life integration, and a professional culture that expects perfection and discourages help-seeking are currently contributing to high levels of occupational distress among clinicians. Although the problem and its impact on the health care delivery system are well defined, there is minimal evidence regarding effective interventions to drive progress. This knowledge gap is, in large part, due to the near-complete absence of federal funding for research to address one of the critical challenges facing the US health care delivery system.
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Content ArticleThis presentation by the European Patient Safety Foundation (EPSF) outlines the issues associated with healthcare worker fatigue and highlights case studies of interventions to help fight fatigue in healthcare. It introduces the Fight Fatigue in Europe campaign and outlines its five-year action plan to #FightFatigue.
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Content ArticleThis presentation on fatigue and shift work is used as an induction session for doctors in training. It covers: Why are we talking about fatigue? What do you need to know? What can we do about fatigue? Improving sleep habits Working well at night How long to nap for Recovery after night shifts Driving tired Rest facilities Individual and organisational responsibilities and standards
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Content ArticleFatigue is increasingly considered as one of the most significant hazards to aviation safety and other safety-critical industries. Both the academic community and industry have focused on understanding the phenomenon of fatigue and the factors that contribute to it in order to prevent it, but also to mitigate its possible consequences. As a result, procedures and regulations have been developed for operators to comply with and there is now a requirement for operators to demonstrate that they are actively managing fatigue. The aim of this white paper by Clockwork Research is to provide safety practitioners with a better understanding of the process of investigating fatigue.
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EventThis Hospital at Night Summit focuses on out of hours care in hospitals delivering high quality safe care at night, and supporting the wellbeing of those working at night. Through national updates, networking opportunities and case studies this conference provides a practical guide to delivering a high quality hospital at night and transforming out of hours services and roles to improve patient safety. The 2023 conference will focus on the developing an effective Hospital at Night service, and focus on the practicalities of supporting staff at night, improving wellbeing and fighting fatigue. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/hospital-at-night-summit or email frida@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #HospitalAtNight
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News Article
Exhausted doctors shun out-of-hours services
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
The number of GPs seeing patients outside standard surgery hours in Scotland has dropped by almost a quarter in three years. Nurses and paramedics have had to fill in for doctors in the out-of-hours urgent care centres because GPs could not be found to cover the shifts. Some health boards have had to close their centres and send patients to overstretched A&Es instead because of the GP shortage. Dr Andrew Buist, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GP committee, said, “Patient demand is outstripping GP capacity across the whole service, including out-of-hours. We simply do not have enough GPs in Scotland. Those who are working in out-of-hours may be doing more hours now than they perhaps did in 2019 which comes as no surprise if there are fewer GPs to go around but it is unsustainable and puts those working in the service at risk of exhaustion and burnout.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 15 February 2023 -
News Article
According to medical guidelines, your doctor needs a 27-hour workday
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Some doctors say that however reasonable guidelines may seem, their cumulative burden causes “constant frustration” to medical practice. A team of doctors wrote a study last year for the Journal of General Internal Medicine which suggested that if an American doctor followed all of the guidelines for preventive, chronic and acute disease care issued by well-known medical groups, it would require nearly 27 hours per day. Guidelines have become “a constant frustration,” said Dr. Minna Johansson, a general practitioner in Uddevalla, Sweden, who also directs the Global Center for Sustainable Healthcare at the University of Gothenburg. “A lot of guidelines may seem reasonable when considered in isolation, but the cumulative burden of all guideline recommendations combined is absurd.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: New York Times, 14 February 2022 -
Content ArticleNHS trusts have often reported emergency department doctors having low levels of satisfaction and high rates of burnout, leading to a high turnover. In 2017, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals (BSUH) and Western Sussex Hospitals merged to form University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust found that the organisation of shifts at Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) and lack of flexibility were adding to the strain already felt by doctors working in the high pressure emergency department. To combat the pressure consultants and other doctors were under, the Trust implemented a system to help improve rota design and flexible working. The hope was that the system would help the trust retain and recruit staff, whilst saving locum costs and improving patient care.
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Content ArticleNurses work long hours and play a critical role in keeping patients healthy. Many nurses feel that fatigue “comes with the territory” of such a high-stress, high-impact job. But what’s really at risk when a nurse is fatigued? This blog by US insurance company Nurses Service Organization (NSO) looks at the impact of nurse fatigue on patient and staff safety. It suggests several strategies to address the issue: Designing schedules and organising work to reduce nurse fatigue Developing a fatigue management plan Educating staff on sleep hygiene and the effects of fatigue on nurse health and patient safety Providing opportunities for staff to express concerns about fatigue and taking action to address those concerns Making sure extended shifts have adequate staff support and rest periods
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Content ArticleThis Patient Safety Advisory from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority provides an overview of the issues associated with healthcare worker fatigue. It outlines fatigue risk mitigation practices that are being used in healthcare and other industries, including comprehensive fatigue risk management programs.
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Content ArticleSentinel Event Alerts from the Joint Commission identify specific types of sentinel event (a patient safety event that results in death, permanent harm or severe temporary harm), describe their common underlying causes and suggest steps to prevent them occurring in the future. This Sentinel Event Alert looks at the well-documented link between health care worker fatigue and adverse events. It looks at: The impact of fatigue Contributing factors to fatigue and risks to patients Actions suggested by The Joint Commission for healthcare organisations
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Content ArticleThis study in The Journal of Nursing Administration aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep deprivation and occupational and patient care errors among staff nurses who work the night shift. A cross-sectional correlational design was used to evaluate relationships between sleep deprivation and occupational and patient care errors in 289 hospital night shift nurses. The study found that more than half (56%) of the sample reported being sleep deprived. Sleep-deprived nurses made more patient care errors. Testing for associations with occupational errors was not feasible because of the low number of occupational errors reported.
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Content ArticleFatigue in anaesthesia practice is often ignored or accepted as the norm due to persistent, high-intensity work demands and expectations. This document produced by the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) aims to provide guidance to healthcare professionals, healthcare facilities and nurse anaesthesia programs regarding sleep deprivation and fatigue. It provides evidence-based information that promotes fatigue management and work-life balance.
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Content ArticleThis chapter in Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses outlines how fatigue and sleepiness impact on the performance of nurses and consequently on patient safety. It highlights safety practices that can be implemented to counter the effects of fatigue, including restrictions on working hours, napping, use of bright lights and exercise.
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Content ArticleThis brief paper reviews the available published literature on shiftwork and safety that allows the estimation of the relative risk of “accidents” or injuries associated with specific features of shift systems. It discusses three main trends in risk: Risk is higher on the night shift, and to a lesser extent the afternoon shift, than on the morning shift Risk increases over a span of shifts, especially so if they are night shifts Risk increases with increasing shift length over eight hours The authors discuss the fact that some of these trends are not entirely consistent with predictions made based on considerations of the circadian variations in sleep propensity or rated sleepiness, and consider factors relating to sleep that may underlie the observed trends in risk. They also discuss the practical implications of the trends in risk for the design of safer shift systems.
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of Nursing aimed to explore whether fatigue, workload, burnout and the work environment can predict the perceptions of patient safety among critical care nurses in Oman. A cross-sectional predictive design was used on a sample of 270 critical care nurses from the two main hospitals in the country's capital, with a response rate of 90%. The authors found a negative correlation between fatigue and patient safety culture (r= -0.240), which indicates that fatigue has a detrimental effect on nurses' perceptions of safety. There was also a significant relationship between work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment and organisational patient safety culture. Regression analysis showed that fatigue, work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment were predictors for overall patient safety among critical care nurses.
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Content ArticleWhen healthcare workers are fatigued, the safety of both patients and staff is compromised. This short article in the American Journal of Nursing reports on a recent webinar in which the Joint Commission distilled current research on fatigue, discussing its causes and symptoms and the various means of addressing the issue. Ann Scott Blouin, a nurse and Executive Vice President of Customer Relations at the Joint Commission, led the discussion and highlighted that factors contributing to staff fatigue fall into three categories: organisation and management issues, the nature of the work and personal challenges. Fatigue has emotional, physical, and behavioural consequences, including lapses in attention, diminished reaction time, and reduced motivation.
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Content ArticleFatigue and sleep deprivation may affect healthcare professionals' skills and communication style and also may affect clinical outcomes. However, there are no current guidelines limiting the volume of deliveries and procedures performed by a single individual, or on the length of time that they can be on call. This Committee Opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) analyses research relating to fatigue and performance in healthcare professionals in order to make recommendations to doctors and managers to improve staff and patient safety.
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News Article
NHSE director demands maternity consultants work nights
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The deputy chair of NHS England has said it should be as ‘demanding’ of medical cover in obstetrics and neonatal care as it is for emergency departments, to improve safety in the wake of repeated care scandals. Sir Andrew Morris, who was the long-serving chief executive officer of the well-regarded Frimley Health Foundation Trust, said the service would “expect a consultant to be on duty in an emergency department [from] 8am till 10pm, or midnight, seven days a week”. Speaking at NHS England’s public board meeting yesterday, Sir Andrew said: “We haven’t set that similar expectation out for [maternity care]. I know we’re saying we’re expecting that two ward rounds are undertaken, each day, seven days a week, but that is very different to the service I think is appropriate for this type of semi-emergency operation, that most trusts run. “I’d like us to be as demanding of organisations [in relation to obstetrics and neonatal] as we are for the emergency department.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 1 December 2022 -
News Article
NHSE director ‘shocked’ by lack of weekend working
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The national director for mental health has said she was shocked to discover how many ward managers do not work at weekends, adding this could contribute to abuse and poor care going undetected. Asked at the NHS Providers conference about recent reports into care scandals, NHS England’s director for mental health Claire Murdoch said it was crucial to listen to frontline staff, such as healthcare assistants, who spend most of their time with patients. But she added: “[It’s also] making sure your ward managers do work of a night and at the weekend. “I’ve been a bit shocked to hear that we’ve moved with agenda for change and quite often ward managers are Monday to Friday people.” Her comments come amid a string of high-profile care scandals, such as at the Edenfield Centre in Greater Manchester, as well as an ongoing debate around seven-day working across the NHS. It is understood Ms Murdoch is concerned managers are spending too much time on bureaucratic tasks, which typically happen during Monday to Friday shifts, meaning they are then not working night or weekend shifts. In September, the national director ordered all trusts to carry out safety reviews, warning in a letter they should leave “no stone unturned” in seeking to eradicate and prevent poor care. She also urged all boards to urgently review safeguarding of care in their organisations, and identify any immediate issues requiring action now. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 15 November 2022 -
Content ArticleLaura Pickup and Suzy Broadbent present on the impact staff fatigue has on patient safety.
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Content ArticleHealthcare settings are high-risk environments for fatigue and staff burnout. The Need For Recovery (NFR) scale quantifies inter-shift recovery, which contributes to cumulative fatigue and may precede occupational burnout. Advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) are an established feature of the emergency medicine workforce in the UK, however, little is known about factors affecting their inter-shift recovery, fatigue or how NFR correlates with formal burnout inventories.
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News Article
Economically inactive Britons with Long Covid have ‘doubled’ in a year
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One in twenty people in the UK who are neither employed nor seeking paid work are suffering from Long Covid, with the figure more than doubling in the past year, official data has revealed. The proportion is far higher than for the 1 in 29 people who are unemployed but seeking work who have long Covid symptoms, or the one in 30 employed people who are sufferers, data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows. Individuals who are not employed and are not looking for paid work are classified as being economically inactive. The data suggests the long-term impacts of the virus could be driving people into this category, or into retirement. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 4 August 2022
