Next time you are in a hospital, look around at the medical team. You’ll probably notice that many of them look tired. It might be the black circles under their eyes that give it away, the half-hidden yawn or just the general air of weariness. But sure enough, doctors and nurses are often shattered. And this can have disastrous consequences for the people they treat.
There are many reasons medical staff might be tired. Some have to do with work, such as long shifts, irregular shifts that disrupt sleep patterns, staff shortages or just the stress of the job.
Others stem from outside of work. For example, poor sleep because their child wouldn’t settle, being out late partying or up late studying for exams.
Checks and procedures need to be in place
Hospitals and medical staff have a responsibility to their patients. They need to accept that tiredness may be an issue and could lead to mistakes that harm patients. They should implement preventative measures, rather than just hoping nothing will go wrong.
For example. Medical teams should talk through what they are about to do before beginning a procedure so that every member involved understands what the following few minutes or hours should look like. Staff should feel empowered and encouraged to speak up as soon as they have a concern, rather than assuming the doctor in charge knows what they are doing, or fearing they will resent the challenge.
Fatigue among medical staff is nothing new. There has been plenty of research into how to protect patients from the risks it poses. If you suffer harm due to a mistake you believe was down to fatigue, investigating what checks against tiredness the team used may help you claim compensation.