[Relation between sleep deprivation and nursing errors during the night shift].

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Sleep Medicine
• Patient Safety

Context:

• Night shift nurses face significant sleep deprivation due to circadian rhythm disruptions.
• Healthcare-associated adverse events impact millions globally, with many being preventable.
• Existing research highlights sleep deprivation's role in errors in other high-risk industries.

Purpose:

• To investigate the link between sleep deprivation and patient care errors among night shift nurses.
• To quantify the frequency of errors made by nurses working night shifts.
• To identify factors contributing to increased error rates in this population.

Summary:

• A study adapted a questionnaire for 3358 Italian nurses working night shifts.
• 16.8% of nurses reported errors in the last two night shifts, with 59.5% making one error.
• Sleep deprivation (3-5 hours of sleep) correlated with higher error frequency, particularly in critical wards (23.9%).

Impact:

• Findings underscore the critical need for interventions to mitigate sleep deprivation in night shift nurses.
• Highlights the direct impact of nurse fatigue on patient safety and healthcare quality.
• Suggests that addressing nurse sleep issues could reduce preventable adverse events in hospitals.