More rest = better care

Medication errors and ICU use in cases handled by residents and interns at Yale-New Haven Hospital went down after work rule changes went into effect in 2003, says a study in the July 17 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. (The changes limit residents’ and interns’ hours to 80 a week and no more than 24 consecutively.) Admission rates to the ICU dropped by 2 percent and pharmacist interventions to prevent drug errors were reduced by 1.92 interventions per 100 patient-days. What’s more, discharges to home or rehab centers (as opposed to inpatient deaths or transfers) increased by 5 percent. The study compared outcomes for patients treated by the teaching staff and those treated by hospitalists.

[Via Medical Economics Update]

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