Impact of Fatigue Associated with Long Hours as it Relates to Patient Safety - Article ExampleThus, while fatigue derives from a number of causes, there is one aspect of fatigue that is highly dangerous to the performance of nurses. The fatigue derived from extended working shifts for nurses, coupled with deprivation of enough sleep results to a state of body where the nurses can neither function effectively physically nor apply the cognitive function of the mind efficiently.Studies have indicated that within the last century, the average sleep duration for working days has changed, from 9 hours in 1910, to 6 hours in 2002 (Rogers, 2008). Thus, while the actual sleeping duration for healthy adults has not yet been determined, the effects of extended period of work, coupled with lack of adequate sleep has been extensively documented.
