Internal medicine residents who report higher levels of fatigue, sleepiness, and distress are at greater risk for reporting major medical errors, a study found.
There was a significant association between self-reported errors and higher scores on the 10-point Epworth sleepiness scale (OR 1.10 per unit increase, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.16, P=0.002), according to Colin P. West, MD, and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Researchers also found a significant association between medical errors and scores on a 10-point fatigue scale (OR 1.14 per unit change, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.21, P<0.001), the researchers reported in the Sept. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
MedPage Today by Nancy Walsh, 09/23/09
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Tags: distress, fatigue, General Internal Medicine