Twelve-hour shifts are hazardous to both patient and nurse safety, but hospitals continue to use them. The Institute of Medicine published a report in 2004 (Board on Health Care Services & Institute of Medicine, 2004) that referred to studies as early as 1988 that discussed the negative effects of rotating shifts on intervention accuracy. Workers who worked 12-hour shifts were more fatigued than workers who worked 8-hour shifts. In another study conducted in Turkey by Ilhan, Durukan, Aras, Turkcuoglu, and Aygun (2006), factors associated with an increased risk of injury included being under the age of 24, having less than four years of nursing experience, working in surgical intensive care units, and working for more than eight hours.

Consider how the resources identified in the preceding scenario might influence an organization’s practice.
Choose an issue in your practice that is important to you. Locate at least three evidence-based practice resources that address your concern and could potentially inform future action using health information technology.