TO MY DOCTOR AND NURSE: SLEEP TIGHT FOR YOU ARE TAKING CARE OF ME....
Sleep deprived individuals work in all occupations, including healthcare.
From the beginning of their education, doctors work long tedious hours. Well, after graduation and into practice, they continue to work extensive hours. Nurses are among the category of healthcare professionals who are sleep deprived. Certainly, not all healthcare professionals, however, be aware that many nurses and doctors who provide your care have not have enough sleep, therefore, mistakes are made.
Just the other day, I overheard a nurse say how tired he was due to working his regular job, plus his other part time job. In addition, his ‘other’ job was a 12 hour shift. Many nurses, due to the shortage, work overtime, as well as have additional jobs.
The next time you see your doctor or nurse, just ask them how many hours of sleep they had the night before, you might be surprised in their answer.
And, how many times have I heard a coworker say he or she is so tired that they are exhausted.
Fatigue and being sleep deprived leads to medical errors. Obviously, fatigue from being deprived of sleep produces a decrease in alertness which can result in not identifying a potential medical problem that needs addressing.
Working in a crisis situation, demands one to be, not only alert, cognitively
aware and attentive, but have the ability to make judgements and decisions that are for the well being of the patient. Crisis situations, especially in emergency rooms need to be handled by professionals who are able to make clear judgements and decisions based on sound cognitive abilities. Patients enter an emergency room with expectations to get treatment and improve.
As a patient in a hospital in an Intensive Care Unit, the same applies. Nurses need to be totally focused on their patients. When fatigue sets in, mistakes can be made. Even, on a routine after surgery, or medical floor, mistakes can be deadly. Those delivering patient care need to be fully attentive to the patient. Patient observations related to medical conditions (symptoms,) results of medications, adverse reaction to medications, progress, as well as, decline in condition are all areas requiring attentiveness. Nurses that are fatigued might miss an important aspect of the patient’s condition, give the wrong medication or not note a change in the patient’s condition that warrants further attention from the doctor.
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Afterall, we are not playing with a deck of cards, we are dealing with one’s life and many situations are life and death in nature. Additionally, some minor events with a medical condition can turn into a nightmare due to a mistake at the hands of a doctor or nurse who is fatigued to the degree of being incapacitated. Surely, you are going to say that probably after years of having the same schedules one would adjust. Well, perhaps, and, then perhaps not !!!
Not everyone handles situations the same way, and, that goes for fatigue also.
Nurses who work the night shift and swing shift, probably more on the night shift, have problems sleeping, often due to the disruptions in their circadian rhythms.
Not only now, but for years, night shift hospital staff, as well as nursing home staff, have been known to sleep at night. Many take their two 15 minute breaks and 30 minute lunch times at one to make one hour. During this time, they sleep. Many sleep longer and have someone cover for them. Not all nurses stay awake for their 8 or 12 hours shift at night. (11 pm - 7 am or 7 pm - 7 am)
Don’t let anyone fool you, nurses do sleep on the night shift. Again, I am not saying all nurses sleep, however, if you need your nurse and she is not available, and she is asleep, hopefully before she went to sleep she turned your care over to a capable alert nurse, awake of course.
Some hospitals require nurses who work the day shift to cover on the night shift when other nurses are either sick or on vacation. So, let’s imagine the nurse who is always asleep soundly at 10pm ready to get up at 6 am to start her day working the day shift. She has been doing this for a long time and is used to this. She is never awake during the night, but her job requires her to do this now. How can she stay awake and be alert enough. Think about the last time you were forced to stay awake when you normally were asleep? How did you feel? Were you alert and truly cognizant of what was happening around you? Did your body feel weird? For me, my body experiences a very unusual tired feeling when I am awake not at my normal times.
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Is sleep deprivation something we, as consumers need to be concerned about? You bet it is !!!!! However, with the shortage of nurses, there might be little light at the end of the tunnel.
PLEASANT DREAMS.
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