Doctors who work 28-hour shifts ‘are not a danger to patients’
30-day mortality rates are the same whether interns work 16-hour or 28-hour shifts, say researchers
Trainee doctors who work 80 hours a week provide comparable patient care whether they work longer or shorter days, according to a study looking at the two types of shift work.
The US research shows 30-day mortality rates for hospital patients being treated by residents are 12.2% when shifts are limited to 16 hours a day, five days a week.
And 12.5% when shifts are 28 hours or more.
Lead author Dr David Asch says trainees who work flexible shifts over longer days do not appear to affect patient safety.
