Linda Scott, associate professor of nursing in GVSU's Kirkhof College of Nursing, was awarded a one-year, $95,000 grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation to conduct the study at a West Michigan hospital.
The study continues Scott's research that found a correlation between nurse fatigue and patient-care errors. In 2004, she and University of Pennsylvania nursing professor Ann Rogers gained national media attention for their study that concluded nurses working more than 12.5 consecutive hours were three times more likely to make an error than nurses working less hours.
In her new study, Scott plans to study 100 nurses who work full-time in the medical/surgical unit in a large metropolitan hospital. The purpose is to test interventions that could help to reduce nurse fatigue such as limiting consecutive working hours, taking strategic naps during a shift, and using caffeine in moderation.
"Other industries, like aviation, have developed similar programs for safety reasons," Scott said. "We want to see if it can be done in health care, and if it's translatable to improving patient safety."
Scott said the study may lead to improving nurse retention. "In the middle of a nursing shortage, we need to do everything we can to help them be effective, safe and satisfied in their jobs," she said.
The grant from the BCBSM Foundation was from $250,000 allocated for studies that have the potential to improve patient safety in Michigan hospitals.
Neal Rogness, GVSU associate professor of statistics, is a co-investigator for the project and will help with the statistical analysis of study data.
Scott can be reached at (616) 331-7171. A photo of Scott is available by calling News and Information Services at (616) 331-2221.
