Medical Staff

Medical residents should work no more than 16 hours without sleep

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, June 29, 2011

Although the ACGME’s new Common Program Requirements will cut shift lengths for first year residents starting July 1, a group of patient safety experts and physicians call for shortened duty hours for all residents. In a white paper published in the journal Nature & Science of Sleep, experts say that the current regulations are not enough to prevent medical errors and improve patient safety. The paper states that the ACGME should set a 12-16 hour limit on residents’ shifts, stating that is the maximum amount of time that a human can function with a relatively clear head.

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