Thursday, October 2, 2008

Great news for nursing shifts

Exciting news!

Last week, a state Senate committee unanimously approved a bill to prohibit mandatory overtime for healthcare workers in Pennsylvania. As the work of our very own nursing professor Ann Rogers has shown, the risk of error increases three-fold when nurses work 12.5 consecutive hours or more.

It is always inspiring to see how the work produced by our stellar faculty translates into changes in healthcare policy. Dr. Rogers' 2004 study, "Hospital Staff Nurse Work Hours and Patient Safety," was the first project to establish a clear link between long hours worked by nurses and an increased risk of mistakes on the job.

The passing of House Bill 834 is certainly good news for nurses, but it is great news for all Pennsylvanians, as well.

1 comment:

  1. that is indeed good news -- but has President Bush signed it? And if not, what are the chances that he will or will not? Has the President (or anyone in his administration) expressed an opinion on the bill one way or another?

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