Impact of fatigue and insufficient sleep on physician and patient outcomes: a systematic review.

Gates M, Wingert A, Featherstone R, Samuels C, Simon C, Dyson MP. BMJ Open. 2018;8:e021967.

Fatigue among health care workers is a well-established safety issue that can increase risk of errors. Investigators conducted a systematic review to examine the effects of fatigue on both providers and patients, as well as the impact of efforts designed to mitigate fatigue. They ultimately included 47 studies in their analysis, 28 of which demonstrated a relationship between fatigue or inadequate sleep and physician health outcomes. Looking at six cohort studies and patient outcomes, they found no difference in patient mortality or postoperative complications between surgeons who were and were not sleep deprived. A past PSNet interview discussed how research on sleep deprivation among residents has informed duty hour changes.

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