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ANA Calls for Action on Legislation to Limit Mandatory Overtime
Cites New Study that Shows Link between Patient Safety and Nurses' Work Hours

Washington, DC - The American Nurses Association (ANA) praised a new study released July 7 that shows a strong link between medical errors and the long work hours of nurses and called on Congress to take action on the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act (H.R. 745, S. 373), which would strictly limit the use of mandatory overtime for nurses.

The study, published in the July/August issue of Health Affairs, found that the risk of making an error greatly increased when nurses had to work shifts that were longer than 12 hours, when they worked significant overtime or when they worked more than 40 hours per week. It reinforced findings of the 2003 Institute of Medicine Report, "Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses," which said that nurses' long working hours pose a serious threat to patient safety.

For more information go to www.nursingworld.org/pressrel/2004/pr0708.htm


 

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