Full Length Research Article Fatigue in the Ghanaian Nurse and its impact on patient care 1* Linda Akuamoah Sarfo, MSN, RN, 2 Dorothy Awuah-Peasah, MPh, 1 Elizabeth Acheampong, MPh and 1 Florence Asamoah, MSA Presbyterian University College of Ghana, Department of Nursing 1 , PO Box 42, Agogo Asante-Akyem, Ghana West Africa Received 09 th November, 2013; Published 29 th January, 2014 Fatigue is something every person has experienced. It is a natural part of the daily cycle of life. Fatigue among health professionals is becoming a topic of interest among researchers because of its detrimental effect it can have on patient care outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the fatigue in Ghanaian nurses and its impact on patient care at the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital. A Modified version of the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) was administered to 100 nurses. The objectives were to find out the shift Ghanaian nurses were more fatigued and the degree at which the fatigue interfered with their social, psychological health, and their ability to perform their duties. The result indicated that majority of Ghanaian nurses prefer morning shifts to either afternoon or night shifts and also most of them felt most fatigued during the night shifts as compared to morning or afternoon shifts. Also, the majority of Ghanaian nurses responded that the fatigue they were feeling interfered with their social and psychological health, and their ability to perform their tasks; such as medication administration. The recommendations are that; Administrators of health institutions and hospitals should take particular attention and consider making compulsory, check-ups of nurses’ social and psychological health periodically during the year. In addition, Ghanaian nurses should be equipped with proper education and training on life style modification practices which lead to the promotion of health and prevention of fatigue and other illnesses. Key words: Fatigue, Ghanaian nurse, and Impact on patient care INTRODUCTION Fatigue is something every person has experienced; it is a natural part of the daily cycle of life. Fatigue is also a major factor in many serious accidents. In addition, fatigue is a non- specific symptom because it can be caused by many factors or conditions including physiological states such as sleep deprivation or excessive muscular activity; or medical conditions such as chronic inflammatory conditions, bacterial or viral infections, or autoimmune illnesses; and psychiatric disorders such as major depression, anxiety disorders, and somatoform disorders (Manu et al., 1992). Furthermore, fatigue may be caused by prescription medications such as antihistamines, drugs prescribed for insomnia, or chemotherapy drugs. Also, fatigue may also result from unhealthy life styles, such as frequent disruptions in the wake-sleep cycle, excessive alcohol or caffeine intake and psychosocial stressors or from the delayed effects of traumatic events (Manu et al., 1992). Among healthcare professionals, fatigue has been found to increase over the duration of a shift, regardless of the length of it (Poissonnet & Veron, 2000). In a study conducted by Josten et al. (2003) it showed that in nurses specifically, an extended workday of nine hours led to greater fatigue and a greater number of health complaints by nurses compared to nurses who worked an 8-hour shift. The nurses in the study also reported that the quality of their work suffered with the introduction of 9-hour shifts to their *Corresponding author: Linda Akuamoah Sarfo Presbyterian University College of Ghana, Department of Nursing 1 , PO Box 42, Agogo Asante-Akyem, Ghana West Africa workday. In another study done by Jansen et al. (2003) it showed that nurses who worked more hours per week resulted in a greater need for recovery from work in women than in men. This finding is important given that, 95% of the nursing workforce is female. The researchers also found that women working six or fewer hours per day had significantly lower levels of the need for recovery time when compared to women who work eight hours per day. The health care environment in Ghana is faced with increased demands regarding improving patient care outcomes at the same time it is facing a serious nursing shortage. Work environments for nurses include changing work patterns, lengthy shifts, and added overtime because of the high nurse-to-patient ratio. These aspects coupled with the increased acuity of patients and complexity of care, set the stage for fatigue in the Ghanaian nurses and increased errors affecting patient. Statement of the Problem The Institute of Medicine considers nurses’ work environments, specifically long working hours, a threat to patient safety (Page & Institute of Medicine, 2004). At the same time, the American Nurses Association (ANA) requires nurses to take an active position in dealing with the environmental system factors and human factors that pose a threat to patient’s safety (American Nurses Association, 2007). In 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that medication errors account for over 7,000 deaths per year (Kohn et al., 2000); a finding that highlights the need for research in the field of medication safety. Workloads affect nurses’ perceptions of the quality of care their patients receive, International Journal of Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 022-024, January, 2014 http://www.wrpjournals.com/IJMSC