Change in residents’ hours not shown to improve risk of mistakes

You may understand that it takes years of education and hands-on training to become a medical professional. For many medical students, part of this training includes serving as resident interns in a hospital or medical facility. It would not be unusual for you to be helped by a resident if you visit an emergency room in Providence. At DeLuca & Weizenbaum, Ltd., we understand that it is essential for residents to gain hospital experience, but we also know that it is common for medical residents to suffer from stress and fatigue. This may result in serious medical errors.

MedPage Today reported on two studies conducted by medical professionals to determine if shift limitations improved the number of hospital errors among residents. In 2011, new regulations by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education restricted hospital residents from working shifts longer than 16 hours in one day. The studies suggested that despite medical residents working fewer hours, the quality of care provided to patients diminished. These hours also resulted in a 130-percent rise in shift handoffs that made medical mistakes more likely.

Interns said they were still not getting adequate rest, were more worried they would make mistakes and felt depressed at the same rates as before. There were also more self-reported medical mistakes after their shift changes.

When you visit a hospital, your life may be put in the hands of a resident in training. Mistakes that are made because a resident is exhausted or stressed may lead to medical malpractice cases. You can learn more about medical facility mistakes by visiting our site.