When health and social care professionals are fatigued, they are more prone to errors in patient care, which can have serious or even fatal consequences. Studies consistently show a link between fatigue and increased error rates. Fatigue also has serious consequences for post-shift driving; healthcare professionals often face long commutes after long shifts, a situation that significantly increases the risk of road accidents. For example, it is not uncommon for nurses to travel an hour after a 12-hour shift, effectively extending their work duration to 14-hours. Furthermore, decision-making becomes compromised, with even the most skilled clinicians more likely to make suboptimal choices when they are exhausted. This impacts the healthcare professional and the patients and families who depend on safe, quality care.
Fatigue also takes a toll on mental wellbeing, leading to symptoms of burnout, stress, and anxiety. Many fatigued workers struggle to make healthy dietary choices, as tiredness often leads to poor eating habits, which in turn can worsen fatigue—a vicious cycle that is hard to break without proper support and resources.
Fatigue management, therefore, is not just about workplace safety; it is about fostering a culture that promotes holistic health for our healthcare providers. It shares responsibility between the organisation to protect their workforce by managing fatigue risk, and the individual to consider the effects of the daily lives.
At the annual Healthcare Fatigue Forum 2024 in Birmingham, UK, we brought together a dynamic group of clinicians, academics, and healthcare organisations from across the NHS and beyond to dive deep into one of healthcare’s most pressing issues—fatigue. The event showcased inspiring projects from NHS Trusts in Newcastle, Worcester, Bristol, and South Tees, where teams are working to understand how fatigue impacts wellbeing and patient care and are testing new interventions to manage fatigue proactively.
We were also privileged to hear from leading researchers from the Universities of Southampton, Northumbria, and East Anglia, who shared their findings on fatigue’s effects on doctors, nurses, and ambulance crews. Adding a valuable perspective, representatives from the rail and aviation industries contributed their insights on effective fatigue countermeasures, commuting risks, and the promising applications of biomathematical fatigue models. The Health Systems Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) ran an engaging workshop as part of their ongoing investigation into fatigue in healthcare, providing an interactive space to explore fatigue-related challenges.
“The Healthcare Fatigue Forum was a fantastic event, offering a rare and valuable chance for face-to-face networking and connection. It was inspiring to meet and hear from a diverse range of stakeholders, including new voices from the CQC and HSSIB, as well as dedicated champions of fatigue risk management who are driving change in healthcare.
Dr Emma Plunkett
The research sessions were particularly enlightening, with engaging presentations from Sarah Troth, Tim White, and Chiara Dall’ora on actionable steps and updates in the field. This Forum not only allowed us to learn from each other’s experiences across various industries but also showcased the remarkable progression in thinking around fatigue risk management in healthcare. Thank you for a truly informative and friendly gathering of like-minded professionals!”
A highlight of the event was a panel discussion with members from the CQC and the MDU, who weighed in on whether healthcare could benefit from safety regulations similar to those in aviation and rail—industries where fatigue management has long been a critical focus.
The Forum is a unique, inspiring space where professionals come together to share experiences, insights, and a collective commitment to tackling fatigue in healthcare. The dedication of our participants underscores the potential for real, lasting change. Together, we are building a network where professionals can learn from each other’s successes and challenges, and we are pushing for fatigue to be recognised as a serious organisational risk.
By fostering this collaborative approach, we aim to engage senior management across healthcare organisations and champion a unified, system-wide commitment to fatigue management that safeguards both staff and patients.
Managing fatigue should be an essential element of patient safety and workforce wellbeing strategies. The impact of fatigue is too significant to ignore, and it is time for health and social care leaders to acknowledge it as an organisational risk that requires proactive management. By integrating fatigue management into healthcare policies and creating systems that support worker rest and recovery, we can create safer, more sustainable healthcare environments for both patients and providers.
Let’s continue this conversation and work toward solutions that prioritise the health and safety of those who work tirelessly to care for others.
The Healthcare Fatigue Forum was co-founded by Simon Wickes, Dr Nancy Redfern and Dr Emma Plunkett. They are joined on the Forum committee by Dr Laura Pickup. The Forum brings together experts and interested parties in the field of healthcare fatigue to learn, develop and implement fatigue risk management in health and social care professions.
To find out more about the Forum visit https://www.frmsc.com/healthcare
Effective fatigue management techniques in aviation can serve as a valuable model for maintaining vigilance and ensuring patient safety in healthcare. By collaborating and communicating efficiently, we can proactively mitigate errors and raise caregiving standards with confidence.
Is there a difference between fatigue and tiredness or are they different terms used to describe the same thing?
The recent Batik Air flight that veered off course due to both pilots falling asleep provides a reminder as to the role that personal lives have on fatigue.
