JAMA Study Compares Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Alcohol on Residents

Arnedt, et. al. “Neurobehavioral Performance of Residents After Heavy Night Call vs After Alcohol Ingestion.” JAMA, 7 Sep. 2005, 294(9).  (Download in PDF)

A study published in the September 7, 2005 Journal of the American Medical Association found that pediatrics residents working a typical “heavy call” schedule of 80 to 90 hours per week suffered performance impairments on tests of vigilance and attention similar to those caused by a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04% to 0.05%. Similarly, residents working a “heavy call” schedule performed worse on driving simulations and other vigilance tests than residents working a “light call” schedule averaging 44 hours a week with infrequent overnight call, typical of an outpatient clinic rotation. In some tests, “heavy call” residents even fared worse than “light call” residents who had previously consumed alcohol to induce a 0.05% blood-alcohol concentration.