O056 Workplace fatigue in the New Zealand healthcare workforce: A snapshot survey

Abstract Introduction A growing body of research has highlighted that workplace fatigue is associated with decreased patient safety, increased healthcare costs and adverse health and safety consequences for healthcare workers. Methods All workers in the New Zealand District Health Board (DHB) workforce were invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire evaluating personal and work demographics, work patterns in the last week, sleep, life outside work, and two fatigue-related outcomes. Workers were categorised into nine groups: Senior Medical Officer/Senior Dental Officer, Resident Medical Officer (RMO), Nurse, Midwife, Allied and Scientific, Care and Support, Corporate, Administration and Clerical, and Other. Results Fatigue-related outcomes were commonly experienced by the DHB workforce. The highest proportion of workers reporting making a fatigue-related error in the last 6 months was observed among RMOs (82.5%), and the highest proportion of workers experiencing feeling sleepy at the wheel in the last 12 months was observed among midwives (70.5%). The odds of reporting a fatigue-related error were generally higher in workers who had a higher frequency of shift extensions and fewer days when they could take breaks within their shifts. The odds of reporting drowsy driving were generally increased in workers who were younger, had fewer days when they could take breaks within their shifts, got fewer hours of sleep, worked more night shifts and had regular additional work responsibilities outside the home. Discussion Given the high safety risk, it is recommended that future work focus on the development of a more comprehensive approach to managing fatigue among healthcare workers.