• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Study: Overworked surgical residents perform just fine

February 3, 2016 By Sam Catherman

Study: Overworked surgical residents perform just fine

A recent study suggests that your overworked surgical resident knows exactly what he or she is doing.

Are you worried that your doctor may be overworked? While it is no secret that a god night’s rest will help you feel more alert and aware the next day, a new study suggests that it may not be as important as you think.

According to a HealthDay News report, a study from scientists at the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine shows that long hours for surgical residents do not lead to any additional risk for surgical outcomes.

According to Dr. Karl Bilimoria, the study’s lead author, “It’s counterintuitive to think it’s better for doctors to work longer hours.” Dr. Bilimoria says the real risk to patients comes when surgeons pass off their patients to other doctors at inopportune times.

Scientists showed that changing shifts during a procedure could result in the loss of crucial information, rushed care, and a loss of the doctor-patient relationship on which success hinges.

The study adds to the continuing debate over whether surgical residents should be given longer or shorter shifts. Recent research suggests that shorter shifts lead to worse overall medical outcomes. Residents are currently allowed to work 80 hours per week, and are not permitted to work for more than 28 consecutive hours.

The recent study examined the shift structure of more than 4,300 residents at almost 120 different programs. Researchers compared the outcomes for patients in programs that either strictly adhered to the shift limits and those who gave their residents the flexibility to care for their patients as they saw fit.

The scientists found that outcomes for patients were similar regardless of whether the surgical residents followed the restrictions or stayed to work longer shifts. Furthermore, surgical residents who stayed longer reported that there were no negative health outcomes for themselves, and that longer shifts often gave them the time to be sure about their patient’s outcome.

The study’s findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A press release from Northwestern University describing the details of the recent study can be found here.

 

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress