What Impact Does a Nurse’s Physical and Mental Health Have on Medical Errors?

​Nurses in poorer physical or mental health than their healthier counterparts are more likely to make medical errors, according to an October 23, 2017, study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The researchers conducted a survey of 1,790 nurses across the United States; more than half of respondents reported being in suboptimal health. About half of the respondents also reported having made a medical error over the previous five years. Compared with nurses in better health, the nurses who reported suboptimal health had a 26% to 71% increased likelihood of a medical error.