AMA Survey Finds Next Generation of Physicians Plagued by Sleep Deprivation

According to a new AMA member survey released last week, many medical students and residents in hospitals across the country are plagued by sleep deprivation and fatigue. The survey was conducted to determine what effect resident duty hour requirements, implemented by the Accreditation Council for Graduated Medical Education in July 2003, are having on medical students and resident physicians. According to the ACGME residents may not work more than 80 hours per week and on-site duty cannot exceed 24 consecutive hours. Approximately 44 percent of residents and 39 percent of medical students reported that they experienced periods of prolonged sleep deprivation about once a week or more often during their most recently completed rotation. The survey also found that 11 percent of residents and 12 percent of students worked more than 80 hours per week on their most recently completed rotation. A complete overview of the finding is available online at www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/9678.html.