Differential Impact of Work Overload on Physicians' Attention: A Comparison Between Residential Fields.
J Patient Saf
; 18(6): e971-e978, 2022 09 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35323137
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Medical errors cause tens of thousands of deaths annually and have a major impact on quality of care and management; however, it receives scant research and public awareness. This study aimed to examine the relation between workload-induced lack of sleep and attention failure, as indications for medical errors risk, among young residents.METHODS:
We performed an evaluation of young physicians by the Test of Variables of Attention, before and after a 24-hour shift.RESULTS:
Workload was manifested by 13% overall attention impairment at baseline, which increased to 34% with deficiencies below the normal range after the shift. Attention measures differed between physicians of each residential field at baseline, but to greater extent after the shift.CONCLUSIONS:
Traditional working schedule is strongly associated with attention failure. Based on the literature linking attention failures to medical errors, we suggest a regulatory change regarding residents' shift duration to decrease preventable errors.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Physicians
/
Internship and Residency
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
J Patient Saf
Journal subject:
SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Israel