American Academy of Nursing releases position statement on nurse fatigue

The American Academy of Nursing released a position statement on Jan. 11.2018 that recommends policies and practices that promote adequate, high quality sleep for nurses to contribute to safe nursing practice and patient care.

The statement, “Reducing Fatigue Associated with Sleep Deficiency and Work Hours in Nurses,” recognizes that safe nursing practice requires sleep that is high quality and of adequate duration. Because the U.S. healthcare system requires critical nursing services around the clock, may nurses work overnight and have irregular shifts. Long and irregular shift hours, such as a 12-hour work day, disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle, and can affect the health of nurses, their ability to function in the delivery of patient care, and may lead to more medical errors, the Academy said.

"The Academy is pleased to publish this important statement on reducing fatigue in nurses," said Academy President, Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, in a news release. “Many healthcare organizations may not fully understand the health risks for both nurses and their patients from a tired workforce.”

Read the Academy’s full position statement.

Download a PDF of the statement below.