Long Hours, Lack of Sleep Make Young Doctors a Danger to Patients
Resident physicians who work more than five extra-long shifts per month are 300% more likely to make a medical error that kills a patient, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The study defined an extra-long shift as one lasting 24 or more consecutive hours. After working more than five of these shifts per month, the doctors were also seven times more likely to fall asleep during rounds and other clinical activities -- including surgery. The survey results are all the more troubling, according to researchers, because guidelines for medical education in the U.S. allow residents to work shifts of 30 consecutive hours as many as nine times per month -- a level, according to the research results, that clearly jeopardizes patient safety. Survey authors say the new data underscores the pressing need to align quality medical education with and quality patient care.
Previously on the D.C. Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
- Doctors who don't report medical errors
- A Harvard study linking resident hours to medical errors
- After-hours call screening and medical errors
- A link between missed diagnoses and medical errors
- How medical boards fail to discipline negligent doctors