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Abstract
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AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of 12 h day vs. 12 h night shift-accumulated fatigue on nurses' driving safety.
BACKGROUND: Evidence across industries links work-related fatigue with errors, accidents, and adverse long-term health outcomes. Shifts of 12 h or longer are particularly problematic, and the potential risks to shift-worker driving safety during their post-shift commute home have yet to be fully explored.
METHODS: This study used a between-groups, repeated-measures non-randomized control trial. Forty-four nurses working 12 h day shifts and 49 nurses working 12 h night shifts were tested in a driving simulator on two separate occasions-once immediately following their third consecutive 12 h hospital shift and once on their third consecutive day (72 h) off work.
RESULTS: We found that night shift nurses had significantly greater lane deviation during the post-shift drive home compared to day shift nurses, which is a key indicator of collision risk, demonstrating impaired driving safety.
CONCLUSIONS: Consecutive 12 h night shifts are an extremely popular shift for nurses working in the hospital setting, however they pose a significant driving safety risk to nurses assigned to night shifts. This study provides objective evidence of the impact of shift work-related fatigue on 12 h night shift nurse safety, allowing us to make recommendations that may help prevent injury or death from motor vehicle collisions.
Language: en |