Lessons Learned to Aid in Developing Fatigue Risk Management Plans for Resident Physicians

AbstractPhenomenon: Fatigue is a significant risk factor for deterioration in performance, which may lead to medical errors and reduced well-being in resident physicians (residents). Sleep deprivation, which has been studied extensively, is only one contributor to fatigue. Given the complexity of fatigue and its relationship with resident performance, the National Steering Committee on Resident Duty Hours in Canada recommends that all residency education programs develop a fatigue risk management plan (FRMP) for their residents. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of residents’ experiences of fatigue and the strategies they use to manage it. Approach: This single-site study investigated the perceptions of resident physicians. Residents were recruited through purposive sampling to ensure representation from a variety of programs, postgraduate year level, and gender. Recruitment was managed with support from the residency programs; however, data collection and analysis were conducted by the ...