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Fatigue in the Medical Workplace

Imagine how tired you feel after a typical 9am to 5pm work day, and then triple it. Working for 24 hours straight sounds near impossible when you consider the exhaustion one would feel in the end. What's more, consider the professions that typically demand this time dedication-truck drivers, charter bus drivers, airline pilots, and many medical professions. The people in these jobs are in charge of numerous lives every time they work, which adds a significant amount of pressure to perform at a high-functioning level. Now picture yourself working 24-hours straight, exhausted, with many lives at stake, and the need to perform well. Sounds like a difficult combination, doesn't it?

Recently, a group of medical residents agreed. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has reduced the maximum number of hours a first year resident can work per shift from 24 to 16. The idea of this is to decrease resident fatigue and prevent medical errors that result in injury and death of patients, although second year residents can continue to work up to 24 hours per shift.

When considering the importance of sleep and its affects on performance, this seems logical. However, some accredited medical centers, like the Mayo Clinic, are worried this may negatively affect patient care, as well as limit or decrease resident competency in several areas. Here's what a Mayo Clinic survey showed:

87% of eligible program directors said the 16-hour limit will decrease residents' continuity with hospitalized patients

65% said it will not change resident fatigue

6% said it will increase fatigue

For years, various organizations have studied work hours, fatigue, and its affects in the workplace. The idea of these changes in the medical field is to figure out if they make a positive effect on patient treatment. Despite what popular belief in the Mayo Clinic survey shows, only time will tell the positive or negative results from this change.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of medical malpractice or some other injury or death that you think may have been caused by fatigued workers, give Knapp & Roberts experienced attorneys a call. We care about safety and will do our best to ensure a positive change. We can help.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2011/07/05/20110705scottsdale-medical-residency-hours-studied.html#ixzz1XtaDQ0fa

Knapp & Roberts has posted several blogs on medical malpractice, errors, and negligence, all of which cited statistics and worked to create action plans to reduce the amount of medical error cases each year.

Fatigue in the Medical Workplace
Posted by: Craig A. Knapp
September 14, 2011

Imagine how tired you feel after a typical 9am to 5pm work day, and then triple it. Working for 24 hours straight sounds near impossible when you consider the exhaustion one would feel in the end. What's more, consider the professions that typically demand this time dedication-truck drivers, charter bus drivers, airline pilots, and many medical professions. The people in these jobs are in charge of numerous lives every time they work, which adds a significant amount of pressure to perform at a high-functioning level. Now picture yourself working 24-hours straight, exhausted, with many lives at stake, and the need to perform well. Sounds like a difficult combination, doesn't it?

Recently, a group of medical residents agreed. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has reduced the maximum number of hours a first year resident can work per shift from 24 to 16. The idea of this is to decrease resident fatigue and prevent medical errors that result in injury and death of patients, although second year residents can continue to work up to 24 hours per shift.

When considering the importance of sleep and its affects on performance, this seems logical. However, some accredited medical centers, like the Mayo Clinic, are worried this may negatively affect patient care, as well as limit or decrease resident competency in several areas. Here's what a Mayo Clinic survey showed:

87% of eligible program directors said the 16-hour limit will decrease residents' continuity with hospitalized patients

65% said it will not change resident fatigue

6% said it will increase fatigue

For years, various organizations have studied work hours, fatigue, and its affects in the workplace. The idea of these changes in the medical field is to figure out if they make a positive effect on patient treatment. Despite what popular belief in the Mayo Clinic survey shows, only time will tell the positive or negative results from this change.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of medical malpractice or some other injury or death that you think may have been caused by fatigued workers, give Knapp & Roberts experienced attorneys a call. We care about safety and will do our best to ensure a positive change. We can help.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2011/07/05/20110705scottsdale-medical-residency-hours-studied.html#ixzz1XtaDQ0fa

Knapp & Roberts has posted several blogs on medical malpractice, errors, and negligence, all of which cited statistics and worked to create action plans to reduce the amount of medical error cases each year.

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The Knapp & Roberts law firm represents serious injury and wrongful death clients throughout Arizona, including the communities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Goodyear, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Yuma in the Valley of the Sun - Maricopa County, Pinal County, Coconino County, Yuma County, and Gila County.