Fatigue in Doctors

The Impact of Long Working Hours on Resident Physicians

“…(10) Another found their mathematical abilities decreased. (11) Neither study measured the quality of patient care directly, but there is every reason to believe it too would be impaired. Even a simple error in arithmetic could have tragic consequences…”

The Resident 80‐Hour Work Week: How Has It Affected Surgical Specialties?

“…3 Another report, published in Nature, found that staying awake for 24 continuous hours impairs cognitive psychomotor ability to the same extent as a blood alcohol level of 0.1%, which is at or above the legal limit in every state. 4 Other studies have demonstrated that well-rested physicians tend to outperform those who are sleep deprived in tests of memory, 5 concentration, 6 visual attention, 7 mathematics, 8 and overall motivation. 9 The effects of sleep in graduate medical education were recently reviewed by a conference entitled "Sleep, 10 underscored the importance of physiologic circadian rhythms in cognitive performance.…”