• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • Write for us
  • Contact us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home All Specialties Public Health

Protected sleep periods improve intern alertness and sleep duration

bys25qthea
September 14, 2013
in Public Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Key study points:

  1. For internal medicine interns working shifts 16 hours or longer, 5-hour protected sleep periods are shown to improve alertness and sleep duration.

Primer: Medical interns and residents are known to work prolonged shifts, at times upwards of 24 hours. Such extended periods of wakefulness have been shown to have detrimental effects on psychomotor alertness and increase the incidence of performance errors. In 2011 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandated that interns are no longer allowed to work more than 16 hours per shift. However, residents continue to work up to 24 hours with minimal sleep. While strategies to cope with extended shifts, such as “strategic napping,” have been suggested there is a dearth of research into what is feasible for interns and residents. The researchers in this study set out to determine whether the recommended 5 hour protected sleep periods are both feasible and effective for increasing the amount sleep interns receive.

Background reading:

  1. The New Recommendations on Duty Hours from the ACGME Task Force.
  2. Effect of Reducing Interns’ Work Hours on Serious Medical Errors in Intensive Care Units.

This [randomized control trial] enrolled a total of 106 senior medical students and postgraduate year 1 interns at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The participants were followed for twelve 4-week rotations.

The primary outcome measured was sleep time during the 5-hour protected sleep period, set at 12:30am-5:30am. Participants were fitted with wrist actigraphs to monitor periods of sleep and activity.

Mean sleep time was increased by 1 hour at the university hospital and 0.7 hours at the VA when interns were allowed the 5-hour protected sleep period. At both sites the mean psychomotor vigilance test responses, which measure alertness based on reaction time, were quicker in the protected sleep period group than in the control group (95% CI, P=.02)

In sum: The authors of this study demonstrated protected sleep periods result in increased morning alertness, increased amount of sleep, and decreased sleepiness. Further, it was shown such sleep periods are feasible as 98.3% of the time the interns relinquished their phones prior to sleeping.

RELATED REPORTS

Methamphetamine use associated with cardiovascular disease in hospitalized patients

Management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections amongst women in the United States Military Health System highly concordant with guidelines

Gout flares associated with a transient increase in subsequent risk of cardiovascular events

A major strength of this study is its use of subjective sleep diaries strengthened by objective wrist actigraph data. However, there are several limitations to this study. The authors were not able to reliably assess small clinical changes in patient outcomes. Additionally, as the study was conducted in only two hospitals, there is a lack of generalizability to interns of other medical institutions. Finally, the interns and study staff were fully aware of the goals of the study during the trial. Future directions for this research include testing the influence of the 5-hour protected sleep period on patient outcomes. While the long hours of interns and residents are entrenched in tradition, research is beginning to illustrate how sleeplessness can negatively affect both intern and patient alike.

Click to read the study in JAMA

More from this author: ADHD medication decreases rates of criminality in ADHD patients, Low dose aspirin shows net clinical benefit in patients with first unprovoked venous thromboembolism, Regular use of aspirin associated with increased survival for mutated-PIK3CA colorectal cancer patients

By John Prendergass and Marc Succi

© 2012 2minutemedicine.com. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without written consent from 2minutemedicine.com. Disclaimer: We present factual information directly from peer reviewed medical journals. No post should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2minutemedicine.com. PLEASE SEE A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IN YOUR AREA IF YOU SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE OF ANY SORT. 

 

 

Previous Post

The RALES trial: Spironolactone decreases all-cause mortality in heart failure patients [Classics Series]

Next Post

STEMO (Stroke Emergency Mobile Unit) delivery of tPA reduces call-to-needle time in acute stroke patients

RelatedReports

Carbon nanotubes ameliorate methamphetamine addiction in mice [PreClinical]
Cardiology

Methamphetamine use associated with cardiovascular disease in hospitalized patients

August 8, 2022
Implementation of pneumococcal vaccine programs linked to decreased antibiotic prescription
Infectious Disease

Management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections amongst women in the United States Military Health System highly concordant with guidelines

August 8, 2022
Increased diabetes risk observed in gout patients
Cardiology

Gout flares associated with a transient increase in subsequent risk of cardiovascular events

August 8, 2022
Multidrug induction therapy increases remission from lupus nephritis
Chronic Disease

Litifilimab associated with reduced disease severity in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus

August 8, 2022
Next Post

STEMO (Stroke Emergency Mobile Unit) delivery of tPA reduces call-to-needle time in acute stroke patients

Successful adoption of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and introduction of pulse oximetry in resource-limited settings

Prophylactic antibiotics in breast cancer surgery significantly reduces infection in overweight and obese patients

License Our Award-Winning Physician-Written Medical News and Visual Abstracts

2 Minute Medicine is the leading authoritative medical news licensing service, and the only with reports written by practicing doctors.

LICENSE CONTENT

2MM+ Premium Access

No ads & unlimited access to all current reports, over 9000 searchable archived reports, visual abstracts, Weekly Rewinds, and the online edition of The Classics Series™ textbook.

Subscription Options
2 Minute Medicine

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • Methamphetamine use associated with cardiovascular disease in hospitalized patients
  • Management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections amongst women in the United States Military Health System highly concordant with guidelines
  • Gout flares associated with a transient increase in subsequent risk of cardiovascular events
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.