Shift Work, Sleep Disorders, Health And Safety - 1409 Words

SHIFT WORK, SLEEP DISORDERS, HEALTH AND SAFETY IN POLICE OFFICERS Police work has demanding schedules characterized by long hours, recurrent night shifts and significant overtime. The insufficient rest or irregular sleep patterns, combined with the stress of the job, can lead to sleep deprivation and possible sleep disorders. All of this contributes to law enforcement officers having one of the highest rates of on-the-job injury and illness. The work is inherently risky, and officers face the threat of being attacked, wounded or even killed when dealing with suspects or other hazardous situations during a shift. The result can be severe fatigue that lowers an officers reasoning, reaction time, alertness and weakens their ability to protect themselves and those they serve. The greatest danger to officers and their overall performance while on duty, which is often overlooked, is fatigue. Sleep disorders, which are normally linked to poor health, performance and safety, are twice as predominant among police officers compared to the general public, usually go undiagnosed and untreated. So I ask, how common is sleep deprivation and sleep disorders among law enforcement, and to what extent do demanding work schedules play? Researchers at Brigham and Women s Hospital examined sleep disorders and how they affected the health and safety of 4,957 state and local law enforcement officers in the United States and Canada. the researchers found that just over 40 percent ofShow MoreRelatedThe Impact of Rotating Shift Work on Police Officers1220 Words   |  5 PagesThe impact of rotating shift work on police officers in terms of fatigue, increased stress, and other long term medical problems cannot be overstated. In 2011, an in-depth research project, â€Å"Sleep disorders, health, and safety in police officers† (JAMA, 2011), was conducted involving a group of North American police officers in regards to the sleep disorders and the health and safety of the officers participating. The study involved 4,957 officers that worked rotating shifts over a period of approximatelyRead MoreNurses Health Issues940 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Nurses Health Issues Introduction Nurses working the late shift (3-11, or overnight, 11-7) are subject to negative impacts due to physical and mental health issues. This paper delves into those issues for nurses and provides scholarly reference information detailing those health matters. Literature Review Nursing and Shift Work Sarah Bills explains that about 4.6% of American employees work the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift and 3.5% of workers are at work from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. MeanwhileRead More The Negative Impacts of Shift Work on Nurses Essay1627 Words   |  7 Pagesassimilation of shift work systems and the flexibility in work schedules. The need for 24 hour care makes the healthcare professions to work with different shift systems such as 12 h, 8 h, 9 h or 10 hour shifts. However, the common shift work systems divide a 24-h day in two (12-h) or three (8-h) shifts. Nonetheless, this requires the staff to be adapted with the various forms of shift work schedules. The negative impacts of shift work on workers’ health such as fatigue and sleep which are theRead MoreLegal Implications Of Medical Malpractice1494 Words   |  6 Pagesramifications can also be an outcome of medical errors that can occur due to healthcare workers working long shifts and being fatigued. Medical malpractice claims have been increasing and the reason cited in the claims were â€Å"medical errors that was precipitated by physician and nurse fatigue (MEDSURG Nursing, 2005). Additional studies suggest that a medical provider that averaged 5 hours or less of sleep are more likely to have a serious medical error that could result in he or she being named in a malpracticeRead MoreA Brief Note On Nurses And Nurses Rights And Lobbies On Healthcare Related Matters1433 Words   |  6 Pagesand inadequate patient safety. Fortunately, the American Nurses Association who supports nurses’ rights and lobbies on healthcare related matters has taken a stance in supp ort of this issue. In their position statement, Addressing Nurse Fatigue to Promote Safety and Health: Joint Responsibilities of Registered Nurses and Employers to Reduce Risks facilitates measures to be taken by nurses and employers to alleviate nursing fatigue and decrease risks in providing patient safety. The ANA stance is thatRead MoreSleep Deprivation And Its Effects On Society Essay1730 Words   |  7 Pagesof effectiveness of those hours however, depend on effective rest. â€Å"Sleep is integral to the health and well-being of all people† (Wells 233). Sleep is simply defined as the body’s rest cycle – a time to recharge. The widely accepted metric for normal or sufficient sleep is about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When this metric is not met, either through total sleep loss or accumulated sleep debt, the effect can be dire, â€Å"Sleep deprivation results in poor memorizing, schematic thinking, which yieldsRead MoreSleep Deprivation Is A Condition That Occurs If A Person Does Not Receive Enough Sleep1362 Words   |  6 PagesSleep deprivation is a condition that occurs if a person does not receive enough sleep. Sleep is a basic human need that a variety of nurses struggle with when working night shifts. Researchers believe that nurses who work night shi fts in medical institutions usually suffer from sleep deprivation, which in turn cause headaches and adversely affects human biological rhythms. This causes disruption of important physiological functions, which in turn leads to the increase of medical errors. Lack ofRead MoreDoes Night Shift Increase Patient Care Errors?1236 Words   |  5 PagesNight Shift Increase Patient Care Errors? A nurse’s role is to advocate for the patient, provide care to them and their families, to do no harm, to promote healthcare and to alleviate suffering (AMA, 2015). With this being said, does working the night shift increase patient care errors? The human body is regulated by the circadian rhythms that tell the body when to sleep and wake, so does this altered sleep pattern have a correlation with patient care errors? When nurses work the night shift, thisRead MoreSymptoms And Treatments Of Sleep Disorders1412 Words   |  6 PagesThe DSM 5 has a list of sleep disorders to give people the knowledge they may need about certain disorders and when a visit to a sleep specialist is needed. When the casual sleepiness state has become an everyday affair for a lengthy period of time it becomes a much more serious issue. By knowing the causes, symptoms, and treatments of sleep disorders you can properly recognize when you may be in need of medical inspection. Throughout the following essay I will also document the causes, symptomsRead MoreInadequate Sleep And Resulting Fatigue1127 Words   |  5 PagesInadequate sleep and resulting fatigue has major implications on the health and safety of registered nurses and can compromise patient care. Fatigue can also be costly to employers, resulting in increases in health care and workers’ compensation costs, early disability, recruitment and training costs, and legal fees. In 2014, the Professional Issues Panel on Nurse Fatigue led the effort to update ANA’s position statement on nurse fatigue. â€Å"Registered nurses and employers in all care settings must