According to a study led by the Ohio State University School of Nursing, critical care nurses with poor physical and mental health reported significantly more medical errors than nurses with better health .
Study findings published in the American Journal of Critical Care .
In times of COVID-19 it would be worse
The authors cited research on the prevalence of symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout among intensive care nurses as the basis for examining the possible correlation between well-being and medical errors. The study surveyed nearly 800 members .
Those who reported poorer health and well-being were 31% to 62% more likely to make medical errors.
The study, conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, also found that "nurses who perceived their workplace as highly supportive of their well-being were twice as likely to be in better physical health."
The authors mention that levels of stress, anxiety and depression are likely even higher in today’s environment than before the pandemic, when the study was conducted .