Young doctors could work 28 hours straight under new plan, despite possible dangers

[TexasTowelie]

The private group that oversees physician training in the United States has proposed rolling back rules so that young doctors just out of medical school can work shifts as long as 28 hours.

The proposal relaxes work restrictions put in place in 2011 when mounting evidence showed that exhausted residents - the term for doctors in training - were endangering patients and themselves. Currently, first-year residents are restricted to 16-hour shifts.

Studies show that residents make more potentially deadly errors in caring for patients the longer they work.

The extended shifts also expose residents to an increased risk of car accidents as they drive home from work. At the University of California, Los Angeles, nearly 20 percent of residents said in a 2007 survey that they had fallen asleep while driving because of work-related fatigue.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article121454582.html

[raging moderate]

1. Danger! This is why they changed the rules.

All these bad things did indeed happen to young doctors and their patients and those around them, in the bad old days before the safeguards were instituted. My mother actually knew one who came down with tb, and had heard of others.

[exboyfil]

2. It is my understanding that the pipeline for doctors

is restricted at the residency level. Doesn't it make sense to reduce the residency hours and find the extra dollars to pay more residents - thus getting more doctors that are U.S. born. These are some of the jobs she should look to save for U.S. residents.

I think residents hours should be restricted to 60 hrs/wk and have approximately 33% more doctors being produced in the U.S.

25% of U.S. doctors are foreign born.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2016/07/12/25-of-docs-are-born-outside-of-the-u-s-can-immigration-reform-solve-our-doc-shortage/#1937d6a4702b

[napi21]

3. I don't understand why? My granddaughter is a dr. she went to Med school in Romania,

she's doing her residency in Germany, and she married a Dr. who has already completed his residency, and now works at a different hosp. in Germany than his wife. Neither of them worked 28 hour shifts! there WERE many 16hr days/nights.


WHY are we in the US doing that?

[Horse with no Name]

6. Limiting the number of trained doctors

helps to keep a perpetual shortage which will always guarantee higher income and prestige

[Laffy Kat]

4. Any time now we'll be hearing that child labor laws have been repealed.

Wait for it.

[forgotmylogin]

5. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO THAT?

Is it cheaper to litigate a malpractice suit than to hire an extra doctor?

Even if it is...doesn't the medical profession realize that doing ANYTHING for 28 hours without sleep is dangerous...not to mention dealing with people's lives???

Never mind. Don't answer that. I know.

Before THE PRIVATE GROUP THAT OVERSEES PHYSICIAN TRAINING make this ruling, they should be forced to drive a car around a track for 28 hours straight to see how they can handle it.

BEING AWAKE FOR 28 HOURS ON A REGULAR BASIS IS DANGEROUS TO ANYONE IN ANY PROFESSION.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. Not all learning is the same.

The brain has two different memory pathways. One is active when we have a lot of sleep. Another is activated when we are sleep deprived. I have much more vivid memories from residency of the overnight and next day work that I used to do every 4 days than I do of my well rested work. The memories are so intense that if I close my eyes I can still see the colors and lighting. What happens when a whole profession changes the way that it teaches?

If the issue is safety, have attendings--board certified doctors available day and night to supervise. If the resident makes a mistake due to sleep deprivation, a doctor who has had enough sleep is there to correct him.

[Hekate]

8. Brilliant, brilliant minds

[greymattermom]

9. Resident salaries come from medicare

and they are planning to cut medicare, right?

[treestar]

10. I don't want anyone who has been awake that long

I charge of my health or giving me advice or doing any damn thing that could affect me!

[HoneyBadger]

11. I thought that residency was supposed to be low paying torture

My older relatives who went through it complained of 48 hours shifts for fast food pay scale. The pay was more surprising than the hours.