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dc.contributor.authorRamey, Scott
dc.contributor.authorMacQuarrie, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorCochrane, Alyson
dc.contributor.authorMcCann, Ivan
dc.contributor.authorJohnston, C William
dc.contributor.authorBatt, Alan M
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-02T00:46:38Z
dc.date.available2019-09-02T00:46:38Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.identifier.issn2009-938X
dc.identifier.doi10.32378/ijp.v4i1.175
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/386830
dc.description.abstractBackground: Fatigue is a complex phenomenon that has effects on physical characteristics, cognition, behaviours, and physical and mental health. Paramedicine crosses the boundaries of many high-risk industries, namely medicine, transport and aviation. The effects of fatigue on paramedics thus need to be explored and considered in order to begin to identify appropriate interventions and management strategies. Aim: The aim of this article was to provide an overview of fatigue in paramedics and its potential effects on various areas of paramedic practice and paramedic health, and to outline potential solutions to assess and manage the risk of fatigue in paramedics as suggested by the literature. Methods: We conducted unstructured, non-systematic searches of the literature in order to inform an overview of the literature. An overview is a summary of the literature that attempts to survey the literature and describe its characteristics. We thematically structured the review under the following headings: defining occupational activity and health status; clinical performance and patient safety; shift length and time at work; effects on paramedic health; effects on driving abilities; fatigue risk management; and, fatigue proofing. Discussion: Fatigue should be considered in the context of overall paramedic health status and paramedic occupational activity. The nature of paramedic shift work, and the associated occupational activity place paramedics at increased risk from fatigue. Shift work may also contribute to sleep disorders among paramedics. Fatigue is associated with increased errors and adverse events, increased chronic disease and injury rates, depression and anxiety, and impaired driving ability. Conclusion: The issue of fatigue in paramedicine is complex and has serious consequences for patients and paramedics. Paramedic services and paramedics need to work collaboratively to identify and action appropriate measures to reduce the effects of fatigue on the wellbeing of the workforce and mitigate its effects on clinical performance and safety.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherIrish College of Paramedics
dc.relation.ispartofissue1
dc.relation.ispartofjournalIrish Journal of Paramedicine
dc.relation.ispartofvolume4
dc.subject.fieldofresearchHealth services and systems
dc.subject.fieldofresearchPublic health
dc.subject.fieldofresearchClinical sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode4203
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode4206
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3202
dc.titleDrowsy and dangerous? Fatigue in paramedics: an overview
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dcterms.bibliographicCitationRamey, S; MacQuarrie, A; Cochrane, A; McCann, I; Johnston, CW; Batt, AM, Drowsy and dangerous? Fatigue in paramedics: an overview, Irish Journal of Paramedicine, 4 (1)
dcterms.licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.date.updated2019-08-31T12:07:38Z
dc.description.versionVersion of Record (VoR)
gro.rights.copyright© 2019, The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International licence which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work and any attributes thereof are properly cited, are distributed under the same licence, and that the work is not used for commercial purposes.
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorMacQuarrie, Sandy J.


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