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Audit of doctors’ working hours needed
11 October 2010.
Victoria’s public hospitals should face spot audits to assess whether doctors’ rosters and working hours meet safety standards and put medical staff at low risk of fatigue , AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley said today.
"Doctors in training at Victorian public hospitals are often required to work long shifts, double shifts and overtime which can add up to 80 hours or more of work each week," he said. "Rosters can be poorly designed and often do not reflect the hours a doctor is required to work.
"It’s time our public hospitals increased their transparency about doctors’ working hours. We need an audit system where hospitals are tested and held accountable for unsafe staffing."
Dr Hemley said doctor shortages were a factor for poor public hospital staffing but patient and staff safety needed to come first.
"Hospitals have a responsibility to ensure their medical staff are alert and responsive to patients’ needs," he said. "At the end of an 80 hour week, fatigue can be a real problem and can lead to an increased risk of incorrect or missed diagnoses, medication mishaps and poor patient care.
"A fatigued doctor is at increased risk of harm, for example through needle stick injuries. The longer-term effects of long working hours are poor health, depression and, in some extreme circumstances, suicide.
"Doctors, like all other professionals, need adequate sleep and rest breaks to perform effectively."
Dr Hemley said public hospital doctors’ rosters often had inadequate rest breaks, and often did not reflect the actual hours a doctor was expected to work. "Doctors are expected to begin earlier than the roster says and work later. There is also pressure to do double-shifts to cover sick leave and annual leave.
"After a few twelve hour days and a double shift, along with the requirement to be on-call, the risk of fatigue is high," he said.
"I don’t want to wait for a doctor to crash their car on the way home from a double shift or a patient to be given the wrong medication for the Victorian Government and opposition to take this issue seriously.
"The Government and Opposition must commit to safety audits of doctors’ rosters in the lead-up to the 27 November election."
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