Thursday, December 14, 2006

NEWSFLASH: Sleep-deprived interns kill people, hurt themselves

Wow! Finally! Scientific proof that working for 30 hours straight is not good for you or your patients' health!

Doctors in training who fall asleep during surgery or while examining patients make four times more errors that cause deaths than their better-rested colleagues, the research reveals.

Young doctors also suffer from their mistakes with emotional problems that can haunt them for years. They admit that their distress includes fear, guilt, anger, humiliation, and decreased compassion. What's more, the distress coupled with reduced empathy can increase the odds of more medical errors and even alcohol and drug abuse.


If interested in official publication of more things we already know: Links to an article and a study.

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