Influence of shift duration on cognitive performance of emergency physicians: a prospective cross-sectional study.
Persico N, Maltese F, Ferrigno C, et al. Influence of Shift Duration on Cognitive Performance of Emergency Physicians: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study. Ann Emerg Med. 2018;72(2):171-180. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.10.005.
This study team performed cognitive testing on emergency medicine physicians following nights spent at home versus after 14-hour and 24-hour shifts. They did not find any decrement in performance after a 14-hour shift compared to a night of rest. However, physicians' processing speed, working memory, and perceptual reasoning were worse after a 24-hour shift, suggesting that 24-hour shifts for emergency medicine physicians should be limited.