Employees Who Work Extended Shifts, Are Tired - Both at Work & While Driving

It may come as no surprise to nurses, but researchers have recently announced that hospital nurses who work the night shift are more likely to have problems staying awake at work, get less sleep, and drive when they're drowsy, said researchers. This is problematic because it contributes to an increase in the number of people who are injured in car accidents across America.

In a recent press release, researchers at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced their findings. It is extremely dangerous for anyone to drive their car while they're drowsy and this problem continues to grow in the United States.

Some people compare the act of driving a car while someone is drowsy to having had a few drinks, being considered legally intoxicated, and driving a car in that condition. Just like the person who is drunk, a drowsy driver has a decreased awareness of their surroundings, their judgment is impaired, their reaction time is slower, and they have a greater chance of being involved in an accident.

Indeed, to illustrate the problem of drowsy driving, one only needs to look at traffic safety reports. According to a report commissioned by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nine out of every 10 police officers have stopped a driver than they initially thought was drunk, only to learn that the person wasn't drunk at all. The driver was drowsy.

Researchers believe that it is critically important to educate all drivers, particularly those who work night shifts, about the importance of getting an adequate amount of sleep. Many people simply do not realize that they are at a much greater risk of having an auto accident if they driver drive their car when they're drowsy or fatigued.

More than half, 67 percent, of the nurses who participated in this study said that they drove their car while they were drowsy on at least one occasion while this study was being conducted. Perhaps more frightening, three percent of the participants in this study were tired and drowsy, but still drove their car, on a regular basis, occurring nearly daily.

"Given the large number of nurses who reported struggling to stay awake when driving home from work and the frequency with which nurses reported drowsy driving, greater attention should be paid to increasing nurse awareness of the risks and to implementing strategies to prevent drowsy driving episodes to ensure public safety. Without mitigation, fatigued nurses will continue to put the public and themselves at risk," said Linda D. Scott, PhD, of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This study was conducted for a four-week period of time. It included 895 participants, all of whom were nurses who worked the night shift. When those same nurses worked 12 hour, or longer, shifts, the number of time they drove their car while they were drowsy increased dramatically, as did the likelihood of their being involved in a car accident.

While they focused on hospital staff nurses, these results are likely applicable to many other people who also work the night shift around America.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/aaos-nwe111907.php