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What you should know about fatigue
 Fatigue can be caused by
- long working hours
- intensity of work
- patient acuity
- pressure outside of work
Fatigue may impact on your ability to work safely by
- decreasing speed of activities
- decreasing alertness
- decreasing ability to detect problems
- affecting mood and ability to communicate well
Fatigue is thought to impact on patient safety and personal safety
- Risk of driving accidents on the way home from work
- Risk of injury at work increases
What can the individual do about fatigue? 
- Recognise the symptoms
- Not feel compelled to work extra shifts if they are fatigued
- Advocate for safe working hours
- Understand the effect of fatigue on patient safety
- Recognise factors that cause fatigue, including those outside of work
Refer to checklist for specific organisational processes
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