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Does simulator-based clinical performance correlate with actual hospital behavior? The effect of extended work hours on patient care provided by medical interns.

Gordon JA; Alexander EK; Lockley SW; Flynn-Evans E; Venkatan SK; Landrigan CP; Czeisler CA; Harvard Work Hours, Health, and Safety Group (Boston, Massachusetts)

Acad Med 2010 Oct; 85(10):1583-1588

https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0b013e3181f073f0

20037753

PURPOSE: The correlation between simulator-based medical performance and real-world behavior remains unclear. This study explored whether the effects of extended work hours on clinical performance, as reported in prior hospital-based studies, could be observed in a simulator-based testing environment. METHOD: Intern volunteers reported to the simulator laboratory in a rested state and again in a sleep-deprived state (after a traditional 24- to 30-hour overnight shift [n=17]). A subset also presented after a shortened overnight shift (16 scheduled hours [n=8]). During each laboratory visit, participants managed two critically ill patients. An on-site physician scored each case, as did a blinded rater later watching videotapes of the performances (score=1 [worst] to 8 [best]; average of both cases=session score). RESULTS: Among all participants, the average simulator session score was 6.0 (95% CI: 5.6-6.4) in the rested state and declined to 5.0 (95% CI: 4.6-5.4) after the traditional overnight shift (P<.001). Among those who completed the shortened overnight shift, the average postshift simulator session score was 5.8 (95% CI: 5.0-6.6) compared with 4.3 (95% CI: 3.8-4.9) after a traditional extended shift (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a clinical simulation test, medical interns performed significantly better after working a shortened overnight shift compared with a traditional extended shift. These findings are consistent with real-time hospital studies using the same shift schedule. Such an independent correlation not only confirms the detrimental impact of extended work hours on medical performance but also supports the validity of simulation as a clinical performance assessment tool.

Circadian-rhythms; Exposure-assessment; Exposure-levels; Exposure-methods; Health-hazards; Laboratory-testing; Medical-care; Medical-facilities; Medical-personnel; Medical-services; Medical-surveys; Work-operations; Physiological-effects; Physiological-fatigue; Physiological-response; Shift-work; Shift-workers; Sleep-deprivation; Statistical-analysis; Work-analysis; Work-environment; Work-operations; Work-performance; Workplace-studies; Work-practices

Dr. Gordon, Division of Medical Simulation, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Zero Emerson Place, Suite 3B, Boston, MA 02114

ACMEEO

20101001

Journal Article

jgordon3@partners.org

Grant

2011

Grant-Number-R01-OH-007567

10

1040-2446

Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

MA

Brigham and Women's Hospital