University of Iowa
Studies have shown that fatigued nurses are at high risk for work injuries, car accidents, negative health outcomes, and patients’ care errors. Advancement in biomathematical modeling provided a novel approach to measure fatigue pattern and quantitively predicts times where workers could be prone to injuries or errors. Identifying at-risk time can help in introducing fatigue mitigation intervention when needed the most. This approach has not been used before in nursing or healthcare. Therefore, the aims of the project are:
1. Test the feasibility of using a novel approach to predict nurse fatigue
2. Obtain preliminary objective data about pattern of nurse fatigue and at-risk periods (low effectiveness score) at which nurses will benefit from having fatigue mitigation intervention.
The proposed study complements an existing two-year study funded by the National Council State Board of Nursing (NCSBN).
Farag (2019). Use of wearables and text messaging to evaluate nurse fatigue. Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference (MNRS), Kansas City, MO.
Farag (2019). Nurse fatigue: what do we know and what are the next steps. UIHC Grand Rounds, Iowa City, IA.
Developed collaborations with UI professor in Industrial Engineering to aid in evaluating the data, as well as a group from the Institute for Behavioral Research for whom she is testing new measures of fatigue they are developing.
