The effect of fatigue on resident performance

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Education
• Physician Performance

Background:

• Physician fatigue is a growing concern in healthcare.
• Extended work hours may affect diagnostic accuracy.
• Resident physicians are particularly vulnerable to fatigue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of fatigue on resident physicians' ability to detect pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs.
• To assess if prolonged work hours (≥15 consecutive hours) impair radiograph interpretation performance.

Main Methods:

• Fourteen resident physicians interpreted 25 test chest radiographs containing pulmonary nodules.
• Interpretations were conducted under two conditions: rested and fatigued.
• Fatigue was induced by a minimum of 15 consecutive work hours.
• A crossover design was used, with fatigue status reversed after one month.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in nodule detection rates was observed between rested and fatigued residents.
• Radiograph interpretation performance remained consistent across both conditions.
• Fatigue did not lead to a deterioration in diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary nodules.

Conclusions:

• Physician fatigue, even after extended work hours, may not significantly impair the detection of pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs.
• Resident physicians demonstrated resilience in their diagnostic performance despite fatigue.
• Further research is warranted to explore the generalizability of these findings to other radiologic interpretations and clinical settings.