EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Greg Brown, MN, RN, for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Emergencies don't slow down for nights and weekends. What can we do to improve outcomes for patients admitted during off hours?
If you’ve ever done long shift work in the hospital setting, you know how taxing it can be. Being on for a long stretch is both mentally and physically exhausting. When that work falls on off hours, those stressors are magnified. Working nights and weekends adds an immense layer of complexity to already high-risk situations. Emergencies don’t slow down after hours. STEMIs, traumas, and codes all arrive during the night, just the same as during the day; but with less staff present and fewer resources, you also have to deal with calling in all the necessary members of the care team.