Long Hours Expose Residents to a Greater Risk of Needle Sticks

Ayas, et al. “Extended Work Duration and the Risk of Self-reported Percutaneous Injuries in Interns.” JAMA, Sept. 6, 2006, 296(9). (Download in PDF.) 

A study by Harvard Sleep Researchers raises serious alarm about the danger of occupational injury faced by resident physicians who work long hours. The study, published in the September 6, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that residents who work 20 consecutive hours or longer face a 61 percent greater incidence of needle sticks and other self-inflicted cuts and wounds while on the job. These types of injuries potentially expose residents to Hepatitis, HIV, and other infections transmitted through bodily fluid. The data in the study comes from a survey of 2,737 medical interns over a period of 11 months.