CONSUMER NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS  


Complain about a product or service

Small Claims Guide | Class Actions | Lemon Law | FAQ | Resources | Newsletters | Spanish
Automotive    Education    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Shopping    Travel   
NEWS   Latest |  Archives |  Auto |  Cells, etc. |  Computers |  Financial |  Health |  Homeowners |  Parents |  Privacy |  Scams |  Seniors |  Travel

Long Nurses' Hours Endanger Patients



November 7, 2003
Many hospitals and nursing homes are endangering patients by allowing or requiring nurses to work more than 12 hours a day, according to the National Academy of Sciences.

Such long hours cause fatigue, reduce productivity and increase the risk that the nurses will make mistakes that harm patients, the academy said in a new study:

  • Many nurses and nursing assistants worked more than 12 consecutive hours, with some working double shifts of 16 hours.
  • In an earlier study, 27 percent of nurses at hospitals and nursing homes reported that they worked more than 13 consecutive hours at least once a week.

The academy found overwhelming evidence that as levels of nurse staffing rose, the quality of care improved because nurses had more time to monitor patients and could more readily detect changes in their conditions. Therefore, they recommend:

  • Intensive care units at hospitals should have one licensed nurse on duty for every two patients; nursing homes, should have one registered nurse for every 32 patients and one nursing assistant for every 8.5 patients.
  • To reduce "error-producing fatigue," state officials should prohibit nurses from working more than 12 hours in any 24- hour period or more than 60 hours a week.

However, the Bush administration said last year that it had no plans to set minimum staffing levels for nursing homes, in part because such requirements would generate billions of dollars in additional costs for Medicaid, Medicare and nursing homes.

The complete text of the study is available online.


Consumer News

May 17 2008

Recent Recalls & Safety Alerts

READER SERVICES

Print, Email & More

Subscribe

Free consumer newsletters
Sign up now!



Back to the top | News

Advertisement


Home | Rogues Gallery | Good Guys | Complaint Form | News | Recalls | Search | Video | FAQ |
Consumer Resources | Small Claims Guide | Lemon Law | Newsletter | Contact Us
Advertise With Us | Testimonials | Newsroom | RSS Feeds | Radio | Job Postings




Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2008 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.