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Beware the night shifts!

WHAT REALLY HAPPENS ONA HOSPITAL NIGHT SHIFT Although your local hospital is one facility, it may seem like two distinct places depending on the time of day you are there. Reports reveal that there are a number of significant differences between the day and night shifts at a hospital, and these can lead to complications, medical errors, and death. WHAT HAPPENS AT NIGHT Residents have the first contact with patients. This may be the most critical contact. Patients admitted to the ICU on the weekends were more likely to die than those admitted during the week. Sleep-deprived doctors are at high risk of making medical mistakes that can harm or kill patients. Night and weekend shifts are filled with temporary or agency nursing staff, many of whom have less training and less familiarity with the hospital. 8% Night time staffers are fewer and less experienced. Patients bound for the ICU are likely to wait hours in the emergency room for a bed. 50 to 70% of patients are admitted to the hospital at night or on the weekend. Financial constraints prohibit many hospitals from fully staffing their facilities 24 hours a day. 37.6 hours Average longest shift without sleep WORST TIMES TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL Major holidays Long weekend holidays Spring break Summer vacation Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years Including Memorial Day and Labor Day Seasoned staff take vacations Senior staff receive extended time off at this time and new residents begin work CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES Sleep deprivation Low staff Low budget Medical errors Higher number of injuries Lack of commitment Surgical complications Higher mortality rate Higher readmission rate INJURIES AND DEATH STATISTICS More than 7% of patients die near 6pm. That's the higher percentage of deaths in the day. Nighttime shifts can run e am 6 pm from 6pm to 6am or later. = 1% Children are 22% more likely to develop cerebral palsy if they're born between 1Opm and 4am. 248,000 patient deaths over a three-year period were discovered to be preventable, according to a study. PERCENT OF DEATHS AT NIGHT Senior doctors expect residents Babies born during the night are 16% more likely to die than those born during the day to learn from their mistakes, which can kill patients. Critical errors during the night shift 1989 Teen dies of cardiac arrest after being cared for by intern, who had more than 40 patients to tend to. 2000 Tumor removed from abdomen but doctors left 2007 Fatal radiation overdose left man deaf, burnt, and with multiple ulcers. 2007 Boy dies after resident orders a sedative, then waits for a doctor for 9 hours. 2008 Man dies after surgeon operated on the wrong side of his head. a metal retractor inside. Sources: Wall Street Journal | Nurse in Australia | Halifax Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog | Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog| USA Today | Medical Malpractice NJ | Cirignani | The New York Times | Kaiser Health News | New England Journal of Medicine | RN Information provided by: http//www.rncentral.com/ CENTRALCOM ---

Beware the night shifts!

shared by rmmojado on Mar 24
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Night shifts in the Emergency Department are not just shifts when it's dark outside. They are wrought with risk. Thanks to the folks over at RN Central for this eye-opening infographic.

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