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2 months ago in Healthcare Management By Kumar

Do longer doctor shifts mean worse patient outcomes?

After the ACGME capped resident work hours in the US, the assumption was shorter shifts = safer patients. But is that actually what the data shows?

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By Krirthi Answered 1 month ago

Mixed results and it's complicated. Seminal studies in JAMA and NEJM found that reducing hours decreased fatigue-related errors but increased handoff-related errors (miscommunication during transitions). The net effect depends on setting, specialty, and how well handoffs are structured. The key insight: fatigue and discontinuity are both risks. You can't just cut hours without redesigning the handoff process. The system has to absorb the change. Otherwise, you're just trading one error type for another.

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