Is It Safe For Medical Residents To Work 30-Hour Shifts?
Updated December 10, 20153:17 PM ET | Originally published December 7, 20154:50 AM ET Lorenzo Gritti for NPR Since 2003, strict rules have limited how long medical residents can work without a break. The rules are supposed to minimize the risk that these doctors-in-training will make mistakes that threaten patients’ safety because of fatigue. But are these rules really the best for new doctors and their patients? There’s been intense debate over that and some say little data to resolve the question. So a group of researchers decided to follow thousands of medical residents at dozens of hospitals around the country. …