Doctors' Working Lives News
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Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Discussion forum
Have you voted on the return of the discussion forum? So far the response has been an overwhelming "meh, whatever" (i.e. not many people have voted!) but the majority of voters seem to want it back.
If it does come back, it will probably be in a reduced form, but it would be somewhere to ask questions, raise problems and share info. I can also flag up any new topics or discussion points as part of the regular mailing list update. The vote will close at the end of the month.
If it does come back, it will probably be in a reduced form, but it would be somewhere to ask questions, raise problems and share info. I can also flag up any new topics or discussion points as part of the regular mailing list update. The vote will close at the end of the month.
Updates
According to the BMA, the NHS in Scotland could have a shortfall of 400 junior doctors by 2009 and 500 GPs by 2012, due to the impact of the EWTD .
BMJ Careers Focus has a brief paragraph on the impact of Modernising Medical Careers on vocational training posts.
A doctor from University College London Hospital provides a diary of his first night under Hospital at Night.
And Raj Persaud writes about improving doctors' motivation at work.
New Zealand strike update: Junior doctors are returning to negotiations over working hours and are considering whether to cancel their planned six-day strike in November. (NZ Herald)
BMJ Careers Focus has a brief paragraph on the impact of Modernising Medical Careers on vocational training posts.
A doctor from University College London Hospital provides a diary of his first night under Hospital at Night.
And Raj Persaud writes about improving doctors' motivation at work.
New Zealand strike update: Junior doctors are returning to negotiations over working hours and are considering whether to cancel their planned six-day strike in November. (NZ Herald)
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
The BMA are speaking out against the cuts in flexible training funding in a briefing paper to MPs.
The European court of justice has ruled that ambulance workers are covered by the EWTD and can only opt out individually, not collectively.
Fancy working night shifts only? It's the way forward, according to a US study looking at the effects of a specialised night float system for General Surgery, with a dedicated night continuity-care team and a dedicated day continuity-care team. According to the report, the system has helped reduce resident work hours, "reduced resident fatigue, improved quality of resident life, and improved patient care as judged by patients and nurses."
Doctors in New Zealand are threatening to strike over excessive working hours.
Many American physicians are cutting down on their emergency on call shifts, causing shortages of doctors on call and possible risk to patients, reports the American Medical Association.
And yes, under the EWTD employees accrue annual leave while on sick leave. See HR Gateway for further details.
The European court of justice has ruled that ambulance workers are covered by the EWTD and can only opt out individually, not collectively.
Fancy working night shifts only? It's the way forward, according to a US study looking at the effects of a specialised night float system for General Surgery, with a dedicated night continuity-care team and a dedicated day continuity-care team. According to the report, the system has helped reduce resident work hours, "reduced resident fatigue, improved quality of resident life, and improved patient care as judged by patients and nurses."
Doctors in New Zealand are threatening to strike over excessive working hours.
Many American physicians are cutting down on their emergency on call shifts, causing shortages of doctors on call and possible risk to patients, reports the American Medical Association.
And yes, under the EWTD employees accrue annual leave while on sick leave. See HR Gateway for further details.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
The PowerPoint presentations from the New Ways of Working in Surgery conference are now available on the Modernisation Agency website. Very useful. Thanks to Vanda Clarke from NWLWDC for sending on the link.
The BMJ has a survey on reasons why junior doctors consider leaving UK medicine which makes extremely interesting reading.
The NHS has achieved "a large and sustained reduction" in A&E waiting times, says a new report by the National Audit Office. This is despite fears that reductions in junior doctors' hours could compound the problem. However, there's still some way to go until the NHS is meeting the 4 hour target across the board. (See also the BMA's response to the NAO report.)
"Late-shift workers die younger", claims the Independent, which has an article on coping with shifts.
The National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) conference in Killarney has heard that "night shifts have inherent drawbacks" and are debating additional restrictions on shift working in Ireland. (Belfast Telegraph)
The BMJ has a survey on reasons why junior doctors consider leaving UK medicine which makes extremely interesting reading.
The NHS has achieved "a large and sustained reduction" in A&E waiting times, says a new report by the National Audit Office. This is despite fears that reductions in junior doctors' hours could compound the problem. However, there's still some way to go until the NHS is meeting the 4 hour target across the board. (See also the BMA's response to the NAO report.)
"Late-shift workers die younger", claims the Independent, which has an article on coping with shifts.
The National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) conference in Killarney has heard that "night shifts have inherent drawbacks" and are debating additional restrictions on shift working in Ireland. (Belfast Telegraph)
Monday, October 11, 2004
BMJ Careers Focus has an excellent article on how shift work affects health and performance - and what you can do about it. This article does recommend napping as a countermeasure against sleepiness, but also recognises the problem of sleep inertia.
The BMJ reports on the proposed changes to EWTD, noting that real changes are unlikely before January 2006.
A court case in the US will look at whether hospitals should be held responsible for car accidents caused by drowsy doctors, reports America's National Sleep Foundation.
The BMJ reports on the proposed changes to EWTD, noting that real changes are unlikely before January 2006.
A court case in the US will look at whether hospitals should be held responsible for car accidents caused by drowsy doctors, reports America's National Sleep Foundation.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
The American Journal of Surgery has published a study entitled What do surgery residents do on their on call nights? Apparently, "activity consists primarily of activities of daily living, patient evaluation, and communication". The doctors slept for 1/3 of the time and spent only 7% of the on call time in direct patient contact.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Doctors' health and wellbeing
The Medical Journal of Australia has an entire edition on doctors' health and wellbeing, including articles on work-life balance, family issues, burnout and even an article on help for sick doctors in the UK. Definitely worth a look.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Some of you will remember back in the olden days when we had a discussion forum. I took it off line a while back because nobody was using it much, but occasionally people mention that it might be useful. So, we'll put it to the vote - there's a poll on the right. Please do vote one way or the other.
Overnight rest - the BMA view
The BMA have sent us all their recent coverage on overnight rest and on call rooms. Should be very useful!
Rest - the BMA view
Lead article
Rest - case studies
Response letter
With thanks to Steve Harman at the BMA press office.
Rest - the BMA view
Lead article
Rest - case studies
Response letter
With thanks to Steve Harman at the BMA press office.
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