AMA Safe Hours Audit 2011

Few occupations are as susceptible to the dangers posed by fatigue as the medical profession, yet dangerous work practices that may result from unsafe and over-long hours in public hospitals are still occurring and are, in some cases, accepted as ‘part of the job’.

The AMA has long said that fatigue and medicine do not mix and that health authorities need to do more to combat the problem of unsafe rosters.

The last AMA Safe Hours Audit was conducted in 2006, with the results showing that onerous and unsafe working hours were common.  The 2006 survey showed that 62 per cent of hospital doctors fell into the significant risk and higher risk categories.  These long hours lead to fatigue that, in turn, can impair judgement and work performance.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the Safe Hours Audit is about the quality of patient care, and not just the wellbeing of doctors.

“The Audit is an important tool in assessing whether the risks of fatigue for doctors are being properly addressed, particularly in our public hospital system,” Dr Hambleton said.

“Serious medical errors can increase with frequent long shifts, and extended shifts have a similar effect to working under the influence of alcohol.”

AMA Vice President, Professor Geoffrey Dobb, a salaried doctor in the West Australian public hospital system, is urging all salaried doctors to go online and complete the AMA survey.

“Safe hours should not be viewed as a junior doctor issue or an issue that affects certain specialties.  Unsafe hours affect doctors across the board.  I encourage doctors of all levels and specialties to complete the survey,” Prof Dobb said.

Chair of the AMA Council of Doctors in Training, Dr Michael Bonning, said research shows that doctor fatigue can endanger patient safety.

“The Safe Hours Audit will provide data to help us determine if hospital administrators have taken notice of the warnings from the last Audit and acted to provide safer working environments,” Dr Bonning said.

Doctors who complete the online survey will be given an instant risk assessment report, which provides an analysis of the fatigue risks of their particular work roster.

The Audit results will be published in an AMA national safe hours report later this year.  The AMA will compare the results of the 2011 Audit with previous Audits to assess if there has been action to create safer working hours and safer workplaces for junior and salaried doctors that optimise staffing to deliver patient care.

The link to the 2011 Safe Hours Audit is http://safehours.ama.com.au/

8 August 2011

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