September 24, 2009

Fatigue, Distress Contribute to Residents’ Errors

By Kelley Luckstein

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

 

Additional coverage:

Physorg

Phych Central

Newsinferno.com

Edmonton Journal

Tags: distress, fatigue, General Internal Medicine

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