It Helps Get You Through the Night
The benefits of naps are well known. Thomas Edison relied on them and apparently doctors and interns do too or at least they should acording to a study described in an article entitled 'Small Naps A Big Help For Young Docs On Long Shifts.'
A part of the cited article appears in italics. My comments are in standard form.
The first study to assess the benefits of naps for medical residents during extended shifts found that creating protected times when interns could sleep during a night on-call significantly reduced fatigue.
In the June 6, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the University of Chicago report that although average sleep time for interns in the study increased only modestly -- by about one hour -- the interns felt that even small gains in sleep led to substantial improvements in fatigue, sleep quality and ability to care for their patients.
"This is a proven method of alleviating fatigue in industries that combine high intensity with long shifts," said study director Vineet Arora, M.D., instructor of medicine at the University of Chicago, "yet is has been neglected by the one industry that studies sleep. Our results show that a well timed nap can provide a significant boost in physician concentration and take away some of the burden of chronic sleep deprivation."
In other words physicians function better with naps. Not surprising. Everyone does. Take heed employers. More from the article:
As hospitals nationwide search for ways to reduce resident sleep deprivation, many have considered shorter shifts. This study suggests that an extended long shift, punctuated by a substantial nap, may be more effective, reducing levels of resident fatigue but also limiting the amount of time that patients would be cared for by covering physicians, "a known risk factor for preventable adverse effects."
In response to this study, all interns on the general medicine service at the University of Chicago Hospitals now have access to night-float coverage and are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep.The study was funded by the department of medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Additional authors include Carrie Dunphy, Vivian Chang, Fawaz Ahmad, Holly Humphrey and David Meltzer, all from the University of Chicago.
Why not extend the sleep opportunities to all night workers. Why would nurses and technicians not also benefit from prudently chosen nap opportunites? Their minds and bodies are subject to the same stress that affects physicians. It is a win-win situation for all involved. Hospital workers benefit from enhanced perfomance. Patients receive better treatment and all this would reflect favorably on the employer. The only missing ingredient is enlightened management.
A part of the cited article appears in italics. My comments are in standard form.
The first study to assess the benefits of naps for medical residents during extended shifts found that creating protected times when interns could sleep during a night on-call significantly reduced fatigue.
In the June 6, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the University of Chicago report that although average sleep time for interns in the study increased only modestly -- by about one hour -- the interns felt that even small gains in sleep led to substantial improvements in fatigue, sleep quality and ability to care for their patients.
"This is a proven method of alleviating fatigue in industries that combine high intensity with long shifts," said study director Vineet Arora, M.D., instructor of medicine at the University of Chicago, "yet is has been neglected by the one industry that studies sleep. Our results show that a well timed nap can provide a significant boost in physician concentration and take away some of the burden of chronic sleep deprivation."
In other words physicians function better with naps. Not surprising. Everyone does. Take heed employers. More from the article:
As hospitals nationwide search for ways to reduce resident sleep deprivation, many have considered shorter shifts. This study suggests that an extended long shift, punctuated by a substantial nap, may be more effective, reducing levels of resident fatigue but also limiting the amount of time that patients would be cared for by covering physicians, "a known risk factor for preventable adverse effects."
In response to this study, all interns on the general medicine service at the University of Chicago Hospitals now have access to night-float coverage and are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep.The study was funded by the department of medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Additional authors include Carrie Dunphy, Vivian Chang, Fawaz Ahmad, Holly Humphrey and David Meltzer, all from the University of Chicago.
Why not extend the sleep opportunities to all night workers. Why would nurses and technicians not also benefit from prudently chosen nap opportunites? Their minds and bodies are subject to the same stress that affects physicians. It is a win-win situation for all involved. Hospital workers benefit from enhanced perfomance. Patients receive better treatment and all this would reflect favorably on the employer. The only missing ingredient is enlightened management.
posted by Paul at 8:35 AM
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