Are 12-Hour Shifts Safe for Healthcare Workers?

Eight hours is typically the de-facto standard for a work shift in today's society. But doctors, physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers often exceed this amount by as much as 50%. Clocking twelve hours in a single shift may sound like a great way to fatten your paycheck, but it could have have a negative impact on your health.

Up until now, there hasn't been much data on how 12-hour shifts impacts workers' health. However, researchers from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PPSA) recently conducted a study to better answer this question. For the study, researchers collected and submitted data through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System, containing a total of 1,600 incidents that did not harm the patient. Researchers discovered that 88.5% of incidents were reported as causing worker fatigue. 37 of the incidents reported in serious harm to the work, including four that resulted in fatality. 

The study found that the top five locations where incidents occurred were the medical-surgery unit, emergency room, pharmacy, general medical ward, and laboratory. One of the study's lead authors, Theresa V. Arnold, DPM, explained that the most common medication errors involving healthcare worker fatigue were administering the wrong medicine or incorrect dosage.

“The most common medication errors made involving healthcare worker fatigue were wrong dose given, dose omission, and extra dose given,” said Theresa V. Arnold, DPM, manager, clinical analysis for the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PPSA). “The most common errors related to a procedure, treatment or test were laboratory errors, and other miscellaneous errors included radiology or imaging problems and surgical invasive procedure problems.”

Studies such as this attest to the growing problem of fatigue among healthcare workers. Doctors, nurses and other workers in the healthcare field are often required to clock twelve or more hours in a single shift, with few breaks throughout the marathon shift. These long hours take a toll on workers, both mentally and physically.

So, what should you do if you work in the healthcare field? For starters, you should place an emphasis on getting enough sleep at night. Seven hours should be the bare minimum, but it's not a bad idea to get a couple hours extra. And if you are asked to work long shifts, past the standard eight hours, take regular breaks throughout to help prevent fatigue.