Doctors told to drink Coffee to "Stay Awake".

holeg2212 · 09-07-2009, 04:09 PM

A new Queensland Health policy to combat fatigue among health workers recommends doctors drink six cups of coffee per day, according to reports.

The issue of public hospital doctors' working hours is back on the radar after doctors admitted being responsible for the deaths of patients while working up to 80 hours non-stop in an anonymous survey by Salaried Doctors Queensland.

The survey of more than 100 doctors found 59 percent had made mistakes in performing procedures while fatigued, including two which led to the deaths of patients.

A 102-page Queensland Health document current being rolled out in public hospitals deems the strategic use of caffeine . . . to be beneficial", the Courier Mail reports.

"The recommended dosage for a prolonged and significant reduction in sleepiness during a night without sleep has been suggested at 400mg of caffeine ... equivalent to about five to six cups of coffee," the newspaper quoted from the document.

The report admits six cups of coffee per day is "not always feasible or realistic" and proposes caffeine tablets and energy drinks as an alternative.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/85...-tired-doctors

kidflash2008 · 09-08-2009, 11:39 AM

The government should have rules as to how many hours someone should work, especially in the healthcare arena. They should take a look at how the US runs its VA hospitals. They could learn a lot from them. (The recent scandals are not the story of the whole VA medical system. The press just loves a negative story and will ignore the great care at the majority of VA hospitals.)

09-07-2009, 04:09 PM	#1
holeg2212 Investigator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Western Australia Capitol City 'Perth' Posts: 437	Doctors told to drink Coffee to "Stay Awake". A new Queensland Health policy to combat fatigue among health workers recommends doctors drink six cups of coffee per day, according to reports. The issue of public hospital doctors' working hours is back on the radar after doctors admitted being responsible for the deaths of patients while working up to 80 hours non-stop in an anonymous survey by Salaried Doctors Queensland. The survey of more than 100 doctors found 59 percent had made mistakes in performing procedures while fatigued, including two which led to the deaths of patients. A 102-page Queensland Health document current being rolled out in public hospitals deems the strategic use of caffeine . . . to be beneficial", the Courier Mail reports. "The recommended dosage for a prolonged and significant reduction in sleepiness during a night without sleep has been suggested at 400mg of caffeine ... equivalent to about five to six cups of coffee," the newspaper quoted from the document. The report admits six cups of coffee per day is "not always feasible or realistic" and proposes caffeine tablets and energy drinks as an alternative. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/85...-tired-doctors __________________ All evil needs to succeed. Is for the good to stand by and do nothing.

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09-08-2009, 11:39 AM	#2
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,699	The government should have rules as to how many hours someone should work, especially in the healthcare arena. They should take a look at how the US runs its VA hospitals. They could learn a lot from them. (The recent scandals are not the story of the whole VA medical system. The press just loves a negative story and will ignore the great care at the majority of VA hospitals.)