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Minneapolis, MN -- June 15, 2007 -- Alertness Solutions presented results of a new survey this week at the annual SLEEP meeting showing the significant impact our 24/7 culture is having on healthcare professionals job performance and patient safety. The survey of 2,082 nurses observed that more than one quarter of nurses (27.23%) suffered from insomnia; 32.10% had difficulty staying asleep, 12.52% had trouble falling asleep, and 55.38% suffered from a combination of both symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study looking at how insomnia in healthcare professionals affects their job performance. The findings revealed that insomnia is attributed to a significant increase in medicine dispensing errors, charting deviations from standard practice and falling asleep unintentionally at work. The survey also observed that despite the significant impact of their insomnia, only 30% of those surveyed sought professional care to address the problem.

The pressure of shift work and the high demands of our round the clock society, often result in the development of insomnia, which is a significant contributing factor to workplace errors that may compromise safety, said Dr. Mark Rosekind, president and chief scientist of Alertness Solutions, who conducted the survey. The results from this study show that insomnia affects workplace productivity, performance and safety, regardless of the type of insomnia experienced. Yet in spite of the significant effects that were reported, the insomnia is rarely being addressed.

Survey Findings.

• Medication dispensing errors were reported more frequently in nurses experiencing difficulty staying asleep, characterized by nighttime awakenings, (29.67%, p<.01) than those who were good sleepers (18.75%).
  
• Charting deviations from standard practice were more frequently reported by nurses experiencing difficulty falling asleep (45.07%, p<.01), staying asleep (41.76%, p<.001) and a combination of both (41.72%, p<.001) in comparison to good sleepers (23.56%).
  
• Falling asleep unintentionally or fighting to stay awake at work was reported more frequently in nurses experiencing difficulty falling sleep (33.80%, p<.01) and staying asleep (42.31%, p<.001) and a combination of both (37.26%, p<.001) in comparison to nurses who were good sleepers (20.19%).
  
  Additional Findings.
  
• Negative effects of insomnia on workplace productivity were reported significantly more by nurses experiencing difficulty falling sleep (60.56%, p<.001), staying asleep (59.34%, p<.001) and a combination of both (51.27%, p<.001), in comparison to good sleepers (30.05%).
  
• The proportion of nurses reporting negative effects of insomnia on both health and mood respectively was significantly higher for those experiencing difficulty falling sleep (73.24%, 80.28%), staying asleep (68.13%, 82.97%) and a combination of both (70.70%, 83.76%), in comparison to good sleepers (33.89%, 48.56%, p<.001 for all comparisons).
  
• Only a minority of nurses (<30%) sought care for their insomnia during the past 12 months.
  

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These findings remind us that sleep is not a luxury it is an absolute necessity; and that insomnia significantly affects peoples lives, work performance and safety; more than most of us realize, said Dr. Rosekind. Also, effective therapys exist for insomnia. We need to educate people about the risks of insomnia, have them seek therapy when appropriate, and use effective behavioral and medicine interventions to improve their insomnia.


Posted by: Janet    Source