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Sleep-deprived doctors prone to mistakes
Author: Jonathan Warren
Doctors suffering from sleep deprivation make more mistakes than those getting enough sleep, according to research published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) yesterday.
More complications were found to occur from procedures carried out by surgeons getting under six hours of uninterrupted sleep the previous night, compared to their counterparts who are getting adequate rest in bed.
The CMAJ editorial cited increased costs that drive doctors to work longer hours to compensate for a shortage of residents at hospitals as part of the problem. It emphasised that this isn’t just an issue for medical residents.
The paper has urged doctors to change their thinking about the amount of time they work, calling for new guidelines to be implemented to limit the maximum hours a physician can perform in a shift.
