Working conditions of interns/residents and patient safety: Painful training might not be authentic.
10.5124/jkma.2016.59.2.82
- Author:
Seung Sup KIM
1
Author Information
1. School of Health Policy & Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Korea. ssk3@korea.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Editorial
- Keywords:
Patient safety;
Intern;
Resident;
Working hour;
Occupational health
- MeSH:
Humans;
Korea;
Occupational Health;
Patient Safety*;
Prevalence;
Sleep Deprivation;
Violence
- From:Journal of the Korean Medical Association
2016;59(2):82-84
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
The current working conditions of medical interns and residents in South Korea pose dangers to patient safety as well as to staff health. A national survey in 2014 showed that interns/residents worked an average of 93 hours per week. The prevalence of physical and verbal violence experienced by medical residents in the preceding 12 months was reported as 13.1% and 61.5%, respectively. Furthermore, sleep deprivation due to long working hours was strongly associated with a high risk of committing 'near miss errors'. An act to govern the working environment of interns/residents was established in 2015 and stipulates a maximum working hours of 88 hours per week. This is an important step toward improving patient safety and intern/resident health in South Korea.
