Ideas That Work: Create a Fatigue Management Plan

Nurse fatigue is a real and present problem in the healthcare environment. Recently, ECRI, a global, independent authority on healthcare technology and safety, addressed this issue in its blog.

Jacqueline Ferenschak, a risk management analyst for ECRI, says that organizations need to address the effects of fatigue on healthcare workers and, whenever possible, reduce duty hours. According to Ms. Ferenschak, a good fatigue management plan should address the following: 

• Education and training on the effects of fatigue 

• Strategies to increase alertness and mitigate fatigue 

• Opportunities to identify and treat any medical conditions that may affect alertness or fatigue, such as sleep disorders 

• Scheduling policies, and 

• Adverse event, medical error and occupational injury investigations. 

“Worker fatigue is associated with lost workdays, an increase in occupational injuries, liability issues and increased turnover,” she writes. “These strategies should be part of every facility’s system-wide efforts to increase patient safety and reduce medical errors.” OSM