Re: 24 hours shifts and the hornets nest

["Eric Niegelberg [Emergency Medicine]" <eniegelb@epo.hsc.sunysb.edu>]

I would stand by my opinion that a person who has been working for 
15 straight hours, without sleep/rest breaks other than a 30 minute 
meal period is not as sharp or fresh as someone who is in the middle 
of an 8 hour shift.  The fact that some services have staff working 
for this period of time does not take away from the fatigue that 
sets in.  Over the road truck drivers are not allowed to drive for 
this length of time yet ambulance drivers can.  This does not seem 
to be logical.

It would stand to reason that those services that have 24 hour shifts 
and have a mechanism in place to sleep/rest or have on call staff 
relieve staff that has worked a long stretch of the 24 hour period is 
indicative of the reality that you can't properly work, day in and 
day out, for a 24 hour stretch.  24 hours shifts with appropriate 
rest breaks is probably logical but as I commented with my 
administrative hat on, I would prefer the productivity of staff that 
is being paid to work, not to sleep.


> From:          "PrimaNoctes209" 
<primanoctes209@cableone.net>
> To:            <flightmed@flightweb.com>
> Subject:       Re: 24 hours shifts and the hornets nest
> Date:          Fri, 18 Jan 2002 11:32:19 -0700
> Reply-to:      flightmed@flightweb.com

> Forgive me for saying so BUT, I think it may be a bit irresponsible to say that "It is not safe to drive an ambulance or provide medical care at the 15th hour of a shift."  In some services this may > 
> Every day and all over America, ground ambulances, fire departments and even air ambulances (except pilots) are working at the "15 hour" and there is no documented increases in crashes, or morbidity/> 
> As I have stated previously in this forum, as this topic arises every 6 months it seems, whether or not 24 hour shifts are right for your program depends entirely on your program.  Some services are > 
> Who knows? I could be wrong.
> 
> Eric E. Kincaid, CCEMT-P
> Saint Alphonsus-Life Flight
> Boise, ID USA
> 
> 
******************************************************
Eric Niegelberg                     Tel: 631-444-2496
EMS Director                        Fax: 631-689-7376
Emergency Department Administrator
******************************************************


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