Fatigue in Hospitals: An Rx for Danger
By Suzanne Gordon | Friday, September 22, 2006 | The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/09/22/fatigue_in_hospitals_an_rx_for_danger/
An article in JAMA this week attacks the question of intern exhaustion, despite recent laws limiting intern work hours.
Rather than the traditional 100 hours or more of work a week (something I personally endured at age 44 – with huge personal consequences), interns are supposed to work no more than 80 hours a week, averaged over a four-week period. The Accreditation Council also limits the number of consecutive hours an intern can work — no more than 30 — a marathon shift that can and is repeated as often as every third day. If the council receives complaints from residents that these limits are being violated, the only penalty is that the programs could lose accreditation.
Harvard researchers surveyed 4,015 of the 37,253 interns in US residency programs. No less than 84 percent of interns reported work hours in violation of the standards during one or more months. Interns who work long hours get more needlestick and scalpel injuries. Interns and residents experience burnout and emotional problems when they discover that they make medical errors.
Terrifying and very important…I plan to excerpt the originals over the weekend if they prove as interesting as I think they will…BS
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