Shine a light on me: Bright light exposure leads to fewer errors for medical shift workers

Montreal–A new study from McGill University found that nurses who got 40 minutes of bright light exposure before their night shifts felt less fatigued and made fewer errors. The researchers compared the group that had light exposure to a group that only changed their diet to improve alertness over a 10-day observational period. Those in the light exposure group were given 40 minutes of bright light exposure from a portable light box before their night shifts. The results showed they made seven errors, or 67% fewer errors, while the diet group only had a 5% reduction. Errors ranged from giving the wrong medication dose to accidental needle pricks. The nurses in the light exposure group also said they felt less fatigued overall. Building on a previous study, the researchers recruited close to 60 nurses at the McGill University Health Centre. The nurses alternated between day and night shifts within the same week. “Interventions like the one we studied are relevant to a large population of workers since between a quarter and a third of the world’s employees do some form of shift work,” said Mariève Cyr, the first author on the paper, a fourth-year medical student at McGill, in a news release. “Although we focused on nurses working rotating schedules, our results may apply to other types of shift workers as well.” Workshops and website The researchers are now conducting workshops at hospitals and workplaces and have set up a website to help shift workers adapt the interventions to their own schedules. “Healthcare workers are experiencing high levels of fatigue due to staffing shortages, difficult schedules, and heavy workloads.” said senior author Jay Olson. “Our study shows that feasible changes, such as getting light exposure before the night shift, may help reduce fatigue and its effects on performance at work, something which could benefit both the nurses and their patients.” The paper, “An evening light intervention reduces fatigue and errors during night shifts: A randomized controlled trial” by Mariève Cyr et al., was published in Sleep Health. Read: ‘Nothing has improved’: Physicians see no impact from Alberta’s Healthcare Action Plan

Shine a light on me: Bright light exposure leads to fewer errors for medical shift workers

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