BMJ  2005;331:515 (3 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7515.515

Letter

Junior doctors' shifts and sleep deprivation

"Weeks of nights" give the illusion of working fewer hours

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Murray et al present a good argument against the current practice of weeks of nights.1 However, many managers (and doctors) ask why doctors find even four nights in a row too difficult whereas nurses have managed quite well with a rota that entails a set of consecutive nights. There are two main reasons.

Firstly, nurses have a job with a far more restricted range of activities, even if they are more physically demanding. That is easier to maintain than the more mentally demanding and diverse role of a doctor.

Secondly, most nurses (and some doctors who work shifts in intensive care units, paediatric units, etc) deal with patients in a defined location (one or a few wards) and can therefore familiarise themselves better with the layout, facilities, and colleagues. More importantly, they are more likely to follow up on the same patients that they have seen on previous . . . [Full text of this article]

Arvindan Veiraiah, specialist registrar clinical pharmacology

Llandough Hospital, Penarth CF64 2XX dr_veiraiah@hotmail.com


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Relevant Article

Junior doctors' shifts and sleep deprivation
Alice Murray, Roy Pounder, Hugh Mather, and Carol Black
BMJ 2005 330: 1404. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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