News

Associated Press

“Doctors-in-training are still too exhausted, says a new report that calls on hospitals to let them have a nap.

“Regulations that capped the working hours of bleary-eyed young doctors came just five years ago, limiting them to about 80 hours a week.

“Tuesday, the prestigious Institute of Medicine recommended easing the workload a bit more: Anyone working the maximum 30-hour shift should get an uninterrupted five-hour break for sleep after 16 hours.

“At issue is how to balance patient safety with the education of roughly 100,000 medical residents, doctors fresh out of medical school who spend the next three to seven years in on-the-job training for their specialty. The long hours are in some ways a badge of the profession; doctors can’t simply clock out if a patient is in danger.”

However, sleep deprivation is not the only patient safety risk.

In addition to the revised rest recommendation, the Institute of Medicine also made other recommendations, which are non-binding, but likely to be influential in graduate medical education program changes.

“Experienced physicians should more closely supervise residents.

“Better overlap of schedules during shift changes to reduce chances for error as one doctor hands  patients’ care over to the next.

“Increase mandatory days off each month, and extend hours off between shifts depending on how long the resident worked, during day or night.”

Source: Associated Press, December 2, 2008

Citation Source:  Institute of Medicine Report, December 2, 2008