Friday September 08, 2006
Give break to housestaff !!



Q: Why we call our housestaff 'residents' in USA ?

A: About 100 years ago when formal medical training was introduced in USA, doctors in training actually lived in the hospital and were called "residents".


This week, JAMA (september 6, 2006) has published studies related to residents' hours of work and other related issues. We will give synopses of 2 studies.

1. Percutaneous injuries (like getting prick with needle) were reported to be associated with lapse in concentration and fatigue. Also, they were more frequent during extended work hours (nighttime) 1.

2. 34% of residents reported making at least 1 major medical error during the study period. Self-perceived medical errors were associated with worsened measures in all domains of burnout, depression, depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and lower personal accomplishment 2.



Reference: get abstract by clicking

1. Extended Work Duration and the Risk of Self-reported Percutaneous Injuries in Interns - JAMA. 2006;296:1055-1062

2. Association of Perceived Medical Errors With Resident Distress and Empathy: A Prospective Longitudinal Study - JAMA. 2006;296:1071-1078.