It is critical for both faculty and residents to recognize the signs and symptoms of fatigue, especially those that are non-specific.
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Moodiness, depression, and irritability
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Apathy, impoverished speech, flattened affect
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Impaired memory, confusion
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Inflexible thinking and impaired planning skills (e.g., cant come up with novel solutions, unable to multi-task)
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Sedentary nodding off (e.g., during conferences) or driving
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Medical Errors
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Micro-sleeps (5 to 10 seconds) that cause lapses in attention and can be extremely dangerous
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Repeatedly checking work
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Difficulty focusing on tasks
To read how fatigue places the health and well-being of the resident (and others) at risk, click here.
To read some common myths about fatigue, click here.
Signs of fatigue must be taken seriously and treated as a performance issue. Residents who display signs of fatigue should be identified, evaluated, and referred to appropriate resources for fatigue management skills (see below). It is also important to consider that consistently fatigued residents may have conditions that have sleepiness as a symptom such as hypothyroidism, depression, side effects of medication, or a primary sleep disorder.
Physician Resource Office
The Professional Development Office (PDO) in the UAB Health System was created to provide comprehensive health and wellness services for MDs, PhDs, Dentists, and their respective residents and students. Click here to learn more about PDO.
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