Fatigue, Scheduling are Critical EMS Challenges
EMS Trend Report 2017 findings highlight the importance of fatigue management as a safety issue for both caregivers and patients
By Jay Fitch, PhD
Caregiver fatigue and increasing negative performance associated with longer shifts are often the underlying reasons for changing schedules that we hear from clients and colleagues. More than 50 percent of the agencies in the EMS Trend Report Cohort operate with 12-hour shifts, rather than the 16- or 24-hour shifts used in the past and still used by many services.