World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

ABSTRACT

This study assesses nurse workload on errors in ICUs. Our study used a design using cross-sectional sampling with 200 ICU nurses in one province studied to investigate the effects of variables related to workload (i.e., nurse-patient ratio, shift length, fatigue, perceived nurse experience, the presence of temporary staff, and shift timing) on frequency of errors. The findings indicate significant positive associations between workload and errors, and the error rate increased with long shifts and fatigue. Perceived nurse experience moderated this relationship - with less experienced nurses making fewer errors at high workload. Nurse-perceived error rates were significantly higher for temporary nurses when compared to their permanent counterparts. The nurses indicated nights were the worst shifts for errors - indicating circadian factors also contributed. In this study we added to the knowledge generated by previous qualitative and perceptual explorations into this topic by measuring workload on a spectrum and investigating some of the more important moderating variables. This study also highlights how groups from practice and research can optimize nurse-patient ratios, minimize fatigue, and improve the safety of temporary and less-experienced nurses by addressing workload effects on patient safety within a unit.