Addressing Perioperative Staff Member Fatigue.

Staffing shortages among professionals in specialized health care and clinical situations that demand around-the-clock care make it challenging to address staff member fatigue. Many industries have developed restrictions on work hours to help reduce the effects of fatigue on safety. The perioperative specialty, however, often requires personnel to work long hours, offers limited resources for specialized professionals, and employs on-call schedules that can be demanding. This article discusses research and additional information related to fatigue and how it can affect perioperative patient care. It also describes how one group of nursing staff members developed tools to help identify and respond to perioperative staff member fatigue.