Health Care Worker Fatigue

Abstract

In Brief The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System is a confidential, statewide Internet reporting system to which all Pennsylvania hospitals, outpatient-surgery facilities, birthing centers, and abortion facilities must file information on incidents and serious events. Safety Monitor is a column from Pennsylvania's Patient Safety Authority, the authority that informs nurses on issues that can affect patient safety and presents strategies they can easily integrate into practice. For more information on the authority, visit www.patientsafetyauthority.org. For the original article discussed in this column or for other articles on patient safety, click on “Patient Safety Advisories” and then “Advisory Library” in the left-hand navigation menu. This article examines the safety implications of health care worker fatigue and offers strategies for reducing the incidence of fatigue-related errors and patient injuries.