The issue of reducing errors by hospital staff concerns many New Jersey residents, and rightly so. One topic that has been addressed in a recent media report is the idea of hospital staff napping on the job. While the lay person may think a napping doctor could lead to increased errors or hospital negligence, many studies seem to suggest the opposite is the case.

At face value, knowing your doctor has just woken up from a catnap after your arrival in the emergency room may be a scary thought. Many doctors argue, however, that these mid-shift catnaps are actually protective in nature. As such, napping may actually be the answer to reducing hospital errors. The reason? Overtired workers engaged in long shifts may be prone to more surgical errors, and napping could alleviate that burden.

An example occurred in a New York Hospital, where an 18-year-old woman died in 1984 after having reportedly been treated by a sleep-deprived intern. It was never conclusively decided what particular treatment contributed to her death, but her case became famous enough to shed light on the notion of making changes to medical training structure in the United States. At the time of the woman's death, interns routinely worked 100-hour work weeks and 36 blocks of call duty during which they worked for 36 hours straight without much rest.

Since this case, New York is one state that has made changes to the number of hours worked by residents and interns in training. Additionally, the national organization that regulates medical schooling has altered its rules accordingly. These changes have come in light of studies that indicated that, after 24 hours of constant wakefulness, an individual's motor skills and judgment are impaired in the same way they would be if the person had a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit for driving. Another study by sleep scientists has demonstrated that naps taken by hospital staff can prevent performance error on the job.

Source: Time, "Should Your Doctor Be Napping on the Job?," Dr. Zachary Merisel and Dr. Jesse Pines, Dec. 30, 2011