Many nurses know all about being tired. They know what it's like to drag themselves into work tired, to care for patients while tired, to drive home while tired, and to come back to work the next day exhausted.

Not only are so many nurses operating this way regularly, they are jeopardizing their own health and the safety of their patients. According to the Institute of Medicine's report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, the problem isn't bad people, it's that we need a system that's safer.

The research indicates that many medical errors, especially medication errors are preventable.

When nurses work 12 hour plus shifts, or 60 hour workweeks due to staff shortages, they are at a greater risk of making mistakes and harming patients. In those cases, the system is to blame for any nursing errors.

However, when the scheduling is organized to respect the nurses' needs for sleep, and a nurse ignores such systems and makes an error, the nurse can be considered negligent for any errors made.

When a nurse builds a significant sleep deficit, it can result in profound sleepiness, which deteriorates the nurse's alertness, cognitive function, decision-making skills, and of course, their ability to care for patients safely.

Sleep deprivation can lead to:

• Confusion
• Problems concentrating
• Short-term memory lapses
• Trouble processing information
• Diminished reaction time

Fatigue has been strongly linked to medication errors, especially among nurses. Richard C. Boothman, JD, Chief risk officer and executive director of clinical safety at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor said fatigue poses a "huge" threat to patient safety.

Boothman said the healthcare industry has yet to connect the dots between how business and clinical pressures can fatigue nurses to the point of risking patients' safety. Adding that the problem can be the worst for nurses who have the most direct contact with patients.

If you were injured by a fatigued nurse, contact a medical malpractice attorney to learn about your rights to compensation.