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LETTERS: Nicholas Akerman Junior doctors' shifts and sleep deprivation: New on-call rotas do not work BMJ 2005; 331: 514 [Full text]

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Half Week of Nights Please!!

Kedar J Deogaonkar   (7 September 2005)

Half Week of Nights Please!! 7 September 2005
Kedar J Deogaonkar, Clinical Research Fellow University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, CF4 4XW Send response to journal: Re: Half Week of Nights Please!!	I am on the SHO rota in a busy teaching hospital. I have always dreaded doing the week of nights. They has been the worst days of my otherwise very enjoyable job. The week of nights start on Friday. Friday and Saturday nights are always extremely busy. One gets no rest at all. Sleeping in the day to rest is easier said than done. The human body can not function like a machine which can be switched on and off at will. By Monday, I am usually totally exhausted. I sometimes feel that it is not safe for me to be working half exhausted on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Thursday nights are OK as I know that the nightmare is about to end!! I strongly feel that new rotas need to be devised which split the week of nights. Friday to Sunday being the first half with Friday and Monday days as compensatory off. The second half would be from Monday to Thursday nights with Sunday and Friday days as compensatory off. I think that this is more humane and will ensure safer junior doctors at work. Competing interests: None declared