Similar to the treatment of Ignaz Semmelweis when he discovered washing hands saved lives, today's medical world ignores the facts that sleep deprivation causes mistakes which results in patient deaths.
The profession prides itself on working long hours even though evidence shows sleep deprivation is equal to or worse than being drunk. Pilots, truck drivers, air traffic controllers all work under regulated hours, but the medical world's hubris blinds them into believing they are impervious and the exception.
Medical error is estimated to be the 3rd leading cause of death in the US leading to 250,000 deaths each year. It's unconscionable that the profession does not take proactive steps to minimize these errors by starting with the elimination of sleep deprivation.
The model of working longs hours in residency was promoted by Dr. William Halstead, a cocaine addict, who expected his residents to be on-call 362 days a year and handle a workload that was difficult to maintain without artificial stimulants. It's a deadly rite of passage that continues today.
I haven't even mentioned the effects on residents and doctors themselves. Many residents and doctors commit suicide because of sleep deprivation or in the very least, develop mental illness. And guess what? Seeking mental help in the medical world is frowned upon; especially for students. Mental illness among the ranks is a mark of disgrace. The medical profession disregarding the Hippocratic Oath for their own is one of the worst ironic hypocrisies in the modern world.
HogSliceFurBottom t1_j20lzid wrote
Reply to comment by Satire-V in How do shifts work on really long medical operations? by TerjiD
Similar to the treatment of Ignaz Semmelweis when he discovered washing hands saved lives, today's medical world ignores the facts that sleep deprivation causes mistakes which results in patient deaths.
The profession prides itself on working long hours even though evidence shows sleep deprivation is equal to or worse than being drunk. Pilots, truck drivers, air traffic controllers all work under regulated hours, but the medical world's hubris blinds them into believing they are impervious and the exception.
Medical error is estimated to be the 3rd leading cause of death in the US leading to 250,000 deaths each year. It's unconscionable that the profession does not take proactive steps to minimize these errors by starting with the elimination of sleep deprivation.
The model of working longs hours in residency was promoted by Dr. William Halstead, a cocaine addict, who expected his residents to be on-call 362 days a year and handle a workload that was difficult to maintain without artificial stimulants. It's a deadly rite of passage that continues today.
I haven't even mentioned the effects on residents and doctors themselves. Many residents and doctors commit suicide because of sleep deprivation or in the very least, develop mental illness. And guess what? Seeking mental help in the medical world is frowned upon; especially for students. Mental illness among the ranks is a mark of disgrace. The medical profession disregarding the Hippocratic Oath for their own is one of the worst ironic hypocrisies in the modern world.