Faculty Collaboration Database

Extended Work Shifts and Neurobehavioral Performance in Resident-Physicians. Pediatrics 2021 Mar;147(3)

Date

02/24/2021

Pubmed ID

33619044

Pubmed Central ID

PMC7919117

DOI

10.1542/peds.2020-009936

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85102538410 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   19 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Extended-duration work rosters (EDWRs) with shifts of 24+ hours impair performance compared with rapid cycling work rosters (RCWRs) that limit shifts to 16 hours in postgraduate year (PGY) 1 resident-physicians. We examined the impact of a RCWR on PGY 2 and PGY 3 resident-physicians.

METHODS: Data from 294 resident-physicians were analyzed from a multicenter clinical trial of 6 US PICUs. Resident-physicians worked 4-week EDWRs with shifts of 24+ hours every third or fourth shift, or an RCWR in which most shifts were ≤16 consecutive hours. Participants completed a daily sleep and work log and the 10-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale 2 to 5 times per shift approximately once per week as operational demands allowed.

RESULTS: Overall, the mean (± SE) number of attentional failures was significantly higher (P =.01) on the EDWR (6.8 ± 1.0) compared with RCWR (2.9 ± 0.7). Reaction time and subjective alertness were also significantly higher, by ∼18% and ∼9%, respectively (both P <.0001). These differences were sustained across the 4-week rotation. Moreover, attentional failures were associated with resident-physician-related serious medical errors (SMEs) (P =.04). Although a higher rate of SMEs was observed under the RCWR, after adjusting for workload, RCWR had a protective effect on the rate of SMEs (rate ratio 0.48 [95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.77]).

CONCLUSIONS: Performance impairment due to EDWR is improved by limiting shift duration. These data and their correlation with SME rates highlight the impairment of neurobehavioral performance due to extended-duration shifts and have important implications for patient safety.

Author List

Rahman SA, Sullivan JP, Barger LK, St Hilaire MA, O'Brien CS, Stone KL, Phillips AJK, Klerman EB, Qadri S, Wright KP Jr, Halbower AC, Segar JL, McGuire JK, Vitiello MV, de la Iglesia HO, Poynter SE, Yu PL, Sanderson AL, Zee PC, Landrigan CP, Czeisler CA, Lockley SW, ROSTERS STUDY GROUP

Author

Jeffrey L. Segar MD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Attention
Female
Humans
Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
Internship and Residency
Male
Medical Errors
Psychomotor Performance
Shift Work Schedule
Sleep Deprivation
Task Performance and Analysis
Time Factors
Wakefulness
Work Schedule Tolerance
Workload