Shorter resident shifts may in fact increase medical errors, studies say

April 26, 2013 (Press-News.org) According to two studies recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, attempts to reduce long work hours among medical residents in order to improve patient safety may actually increase the risk of medical errors in teaching hospitals - which is contrary to what many may have expected.

Given the several teaching hospitals here in Philadelphia-area, these studies may provide helpful guidance to hospital administrators attempting to reduce medical errors in their own facilities.

Impact of resident shift length to medical errors

Specifically, both of the recently published studies focused on the length of shifts young medical residents are permitted to work at one time. One of the studies - which was conducted at the University of Michigan Medical School - made note of the fact that a medical oversight board cut the permitted shift hours from 30 to 16 in 2011 in hopes of increasing patient safety by lessening errors made by tired doctors.

Interestingly, researchers involved in this study found that the reduced shift did not increase sleep time among residents or reduce depression rates. Furthermore, medical errors jumped 15 to 20 percent among young doctors working shorter shifts - when compared to the longer shifts.

Several reasons have been posited for this increase, including that many residents are simply trying to fit the same amount a work in a shorter shift. In addition, USA Today recently reported that the lead author of the second study, Sanjay Desai, believes that shorter resident shifts may also result in added "handoff risks" - which is based on the number of instances in which a patient is handed off from one doctor to another. Obviously, as the lengths of resident shifts decrease, handoffs are more likely. According to Desai, "Handoff and patient safety is a highly complex matter."

Seek help if injured by a hospital error

As the recent studies demonstrate, medical error rates still have much room for improvement. It is tragic that patients may be suffering injuries solely attributed to the routine task of transferring one patient to another doctor. These types of errors would likely be preventable if hospital staff simply paid closer attention and engaged in improved collaboration.

If you or a loved has been injured due to a medical error made by a doctor or other hospital staff, it may be advisable to speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. A knowledgeable attorney can inform you as to what your rights may be given your particular circumstances and help in gathering the vital evidence needed to prove your claim.

Article provided by Marrone Law Firm
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