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Sunday 25 March 2012

EWTR - Sleepy Tired Doctors are Unsafe Doctors

A major newspaper ran a campaign last year in association with one of the surgical royal colleges against the European Working Time Regulation for doctors especially for surgeons. I am finding it uneasy that we seem to have lost balance on this issue and chosen to take the campaign mode. We learn that the Government could ask for an exemption from EWTR for British doctors. Having done training posts in the pre-EWTD era and regularly worked more than 80 hour weeks in surgery, I welcome the European Working Time Regulation especially for doctors in training; but it not just a matter of opinion.

Acute sleep deprivation has been shown to result in more errors, longer time to complete tasks, slower reaction times resulting in a deterioration in clinical performance. This is the case in both In simulated and real time environment. There are important consequences for chronic sleep deprivation as well. The issue is not just about the duration of sleep but also the importance of quality of sleep, which is indirectly reflected in some of the rules of the EWTR regarding continuous uninterrupted rest periods. Healthcare claims to be learning from the airline industry, the airline industry recognised the issue of working hours and rest and has very strict rules for the pilots regarding flying hours; it is well known that scheduled commercial airlines rank very high in safety.

Since the gradual implementation of the working time directive, now a regulation, this country has not seen any objective worsening of clinical standards such as mortality or complications; in fact most parameters have shown an improvement in standards of care, obviously there is no implication of cause and effect here. However, surveys showing perception that patient care has possibly become unsafe are not really borne out by objective evidence; as a profession based on science we must be aware of both the power and limitations that perceptions can have. Further, I am not aware of even a single consultant level doctor appointed in recent times who has stopped being a consultant and gone back to training due to any recognition that the EWTD allowed poor training. 


If indeed, as a country we wanted to act on a survey perception that EWTR is affecting training, instead of putting patients at potential risk by asking doctors to work longer hours, the powers in charge of training should have addressed the issue by prolonging the period required to complete the training. Part-time trainees do this all the time while providing equal quality of care and with the changing gender profile of the medical profession this becomes even more relevant.


Europeans, in consideration of a better quality of life have taken a societal direction to work lesser hours and for British doctors to some how claim that we are very different from the society we live in, is an attitude incompatible with modern life. Doctors are not super human, though it may seem some of us ardently wish to be so.


There is no scientific, operational or societal reasons to oppose the EWTR. I think it is time to recognise this before the society begins to wonder if there were considerations other than these in the medical profession's decision making; that would damage the image of the profession. There have also been recent suggestions that we can ignore the law, such a thinking does not bode well for a profession held in high esteem by the public. The issue is about safer healthcare, longer duration of working which is highly likely to result in sleep deprivation impacts adversely on safety. 


If I had the opportunity to choose my doctor I would obviously opt for a well qualified and experienced one who is not tired, I am not sure anyone would choose otherwise. Is it unreasonable to ask the government to ensure the same for me through the NHS?

2 comments:

Vivek Chhabra said...

I fully agree with Hemadri and wonder the intentions of powers who wish to take the systems back to primitive and dangerous times.

Naseem said...

Totally agree.

Naseem