Reducing Residents' Hours Important To Reducing Medical Errors
The Los Angeles Times reports that despite medical residents working a reduced number of hours, they still commit an “alarming number” of medical errors.
Beginning July 1, rules will be implemented requiring first-year residents to work no longer than 16 straight hours, however more senior residents may still work longer hours. Citing significance incidences of medical error, a group of 26 doctor and patient experts are calling for all resident physicians to work in shifts no longer than 12 to 16 hours.
In a report resulting from a Harvard Medical School conference published in the journal Nature & Science of Sleep, one of the studies authors stated, “What started as a good system has evolved into a system where the residents are extremely sleep deprived, caring for some of the sickest patients in the country, and that’s a set-up for disaster.”
Statistics show that nearly 180,000 patients die each year due to harm resulting from medical errors committed by residents.
Other recommendations include residents receiving increased supervision by attending physicians and delegating routine work such as blood draws and paperwork to other staff. Although implementing new resident work rules costs money, the expense would be offset by reducing medical errors – as well as improving patient care. The author further notes “Few people enter a hospital expecting that their care and safety are in the hands of someone who has been working a double-shift or more wit no sleep…If they knew, and had a choice, the overwhelming majority would demand another doctor or leave.”
As California medical malpractice lawyers, we are hopeful these changes will be implemented in order to improve patient safety.
For more information or if you believe you may have been the victim of a medical error, please contact the experienced San Francisco medical malpractice attorneysat Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for a confidential consultation.
