Sleep Deprived Physicians

Physicians argue hospitals should bar sleep-deprived surgeons from performing elective surgery.
The Los Angeles Times (12/30, Brown) reports, "Hospitals should not allow surgeons to perform elective procedures on patients if they have been awake the previous night taking calls, a trio of physicians argued in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine."
CNN (12/30, Watkins) reports, "Absent such policies, sleep-deprived doctors should -- at a minimum -- tell their patients about their sleep status prior to performing any elective surgery, and offer those patients the opportunity to postpone the procedure or select a different surgeon," the trio asserted in a perspective piece.
"Research suggests that sleep deprivation impairs a person's psychomotor skills -- those that require coordination and precision -- as much as alcohol consumption and increases the risk of complications in patients whose surgeons failed to get much shuteye," HealthDay (12/29, Dotinga) reported.
MedPage Today (12/29, Phend) reported that "while agreeing that fatigue reduces cognitive and technical performance, the American College of Surgeons called mandatory disclosure unwarranted." In an accompanying letter, David B. Hoyt, MD, and colleagues, wrote, "We maintain that a call for mandatory disclosure essentially eliminates the necessary judgmental latitude surgeons should possess to determine their fitness for providing optimal patient care." Hoyt and colleagues "cautioned about the slippery slope of requiring surgeons to disclose the number of hours they have slept, questioning whether disclosure of other personal factors that also negatively affect performance -- such as marital difficulties or financial worries -- would eventually be demanded." The Wall Street Journal (12/29, Hobson, subscription required) "Health Blog" and the Boston Globe (12/29, Kotz) "Daily Dose" blog also covered the story.