Effects on Patients Public awareness of a rising number of health care errors, through the media and through research studies such as the Institute of Medicine's report called To Err is Human , has put hospitalized patients and their families on the alert to be more vigilant, inquisitive and insistent that their needs be attended to in a safe and appropriate manner by skilled individuals. It has also amplified the level of fear in patients and their families, in addition to those emotions normally associated with hospitalization, that front line staff nurses must deal with. Nurses are turning to ANA and their CMAs for help in resolving this problem. The competing demands of family and social responsibilities outside the job and also assuring that patients' needs are safely met, place additional stress and pressure on nurses required to work long hours. Nursing's Code of Ethics Registered nurses are truly caught in the middle of a difficult situation.
Common sense says that overtime leads to fatigue and fatigue increases the likelihood of errors.
Research on the relationship between extended work hours and diminished ability to think and function safely is minimal and the findings equivocal. The research is also limited to comparisons between scheduled and anticipated eight and 12 hour shifts. Federal and State Protections Where states might limit the amount of overtime that can be worked by certain employee classifications, registered nurses and other health care workers are rarely protected. Two exceptions exist. In New York State, there are limits placed on consecutive hours of work for interns and residents.