Fatigue in the Perioperative Environment

Abstract

Fatigue, in broad terms, is a state of mental and physical exhaustion1, coupled with the inability or unwillingness to continue effective performance of a physical or mental task. Commonly it is described as tiredness or sleepiness resulting from various causes such as extended periods of wakefulness, insufficient sleep or disturbances to circadian rhythms. It is a complex state with psychological, physiological and emotional implications that can easily impact safe performance of routine and non-routine tasks. There is overwhelming evidence that long work hours, heavy workloads and staff shortages contribute to adverse events and impact on patient safety.