Based at least in part on concerns for patient safety and evidence that long shifts are associated with an increased risk of physician error, residents' and fellows' work hours have been strictly limited for the past several years. Little attention has been paid, however, to excessive attending physician shift duration, although there seems to be no reason to assume that this common practice poses any less risk to patients. Potential justifications for allowing attending physicians to work without hourly limits include physician autonomy, workforce shortages in certain communities or subspecialties, continuity of care, and financial considerations. None of these clearly justify the apparent increased risk to patients, with the exception in some settings of workforce shortage. In many hospital settings, the practice of allowing attending physicians to work with no limit on shift duration could pose an unnecessary risk to patients.
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August 2009
Special Articles|
August 01 2009
Attending Physician Work Hours: Ethical Considerations and the Last Doctor Standing
Mark R. Mercurio, MD, MA;
Mark R. Mercurio, MD, MA
aDepartment of Pediatrics
bYale Pediatric Ethics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Steven M. Peterec, MD
Steven M. Peterec, MD
aDepartment of Pediatrics
cDepartment of Neonatology, Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, New London, Connecticut
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Address correspondence to Mark R. Mercurio, MD, MA, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 333 Cedar St, PO Box 208064, New Haven, CT 06520-8064. E-mail: mark.mercurio@yale.edu
Pediatrics (2009) 124 (2): 758–762.
Article history
Accepted:
February 02 2009
Citation
Mark R. Mercurio, Steven M. Peterec; Attending Physician Work Hours: Ethical Considerations and the Last Doctor Standing. Pediatrics August 2009; 124 (2): 758–762. 10.1542/peds.2008-2953
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