NEJM Duty hours-handoffs-IPASS etc.

[cbrons]

This is from the November 6 edition of NEJM, article entitled: “Changes in Medical Errors after Implementation of a Handoff Program”

Quote is in the discussion:

“One of the major concerns about resident duty hour limits is that although sleep deprivation increases the risk of performance failures and medical errors, reducing work hours leads to more patient handoffs and the potential for more handoff-related errors. However, our study shows that the risk of handoff-related errors can be significantly reduced. Implementing handoff improvement programs such as the IPASS Handoff Bundle may potentiate the effectiveness of work hour reductions, because doing both together may concurrently reduce both fatigue and handoff related errors."

In this article it seems that they are presupposing that work hour reductions are beneficial and should stay.

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[evilbooyaa]

Likely because there is some profit to be had from the IPASS Handoff Bundle (could you imagine a stack of papers on every patient for a busy floor unit?) that would be more necessary if the work hour restrictions stuck for residents.

 

[DermViser]

Work hour restrictions are definitely here to stay. There is never going back to the era of no duty hour regulations, not when medicine is being regulated even further at many levels in terms of reimbursement, physician certification, etc. The only question is whether it is better at the 2003 guidelines or the 2011 guidelines.

Nice to know work hour restrictions will keep many academics employed to publish on the pros and cons of it though.

 

[Jabbed]

So all that we needed to fix the problems created by the new work hour restrictions was a mnemonic? Sweet.