Originally published October 3 2005
Study finds the performance of sleep-deprived doctors comparable to alcohol-impaired performance
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new study conducted at the University of Michigan finds alarming similarities between the reaction times of doctors who have been drinking and those who have been working the standard 80-hour week for residents.
Working long hours is considered a hallmark of a medical residency.
But in recent years, concerns have risen about how shifts that can last days affect a doctor's ability to function.
The results of a new study quantify the negative effects and show that the performance of fatigued residents is comparable to how they would act after imbibing three or four cocktails.
An 80-hour limit for a resident's workweek was introduced in July 2003 in response to concerns about overwork.
The volunteers took part in the tests on four different occasions, after working mostly day shifts with only a few overnight calls, or after working intense overnight shifts that added up to about 80 hours in a week.
For some of the tests, the doctors were also given alcoholic drinks or nonalcoholic placebos.
After a month of difficult work schedules, the doctors exhibited reaction times that were seven percent slower than their responses after working a lighter schedule.
In the driving simulator, doctors coming off a month of working nights displayed comparable skills to the subjects who had an easier schedule but had a blood-alcohol level just below the legal driving limit.
What is more, the post-call doctors were 30 percent more likely to not maintain a steady speed in the driving simulator compared to well-rested doctors who had been drinking.
ADVERTISEMENT (article continues below) "We have to continue to educate doctors-in-training, and we should help them develop sleep risk-management strategies," remarks study co-author Judith Owens of Brown Medical School.
"This is particularly important since our study shows that many sleep-starved residents don't recognize that they're impaired."
A report describing the findings is published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml