what is the effect of working longer hours on nurses?
Approximately 40 percent of the shifts were longer than 12 hours. A tired nurse is more likely to make a mistake -- the researchers found the risk of errors was significantly increased if the nurses worked overtime, worked more than 40 hours a week or worked longer than 12 hours at a stretch.Over half of the mistakes were medication errors.welve-hour night shifts can make it difficult for a nurse to get adequate sleep. Back in the days when women never went without a hat or gloves, a 10- to 12-hour shift for nurses was the norm, according to the Travel Nurses Now website.