AMA VICDOC Spring 2023 - Magazine - Page 65
In the end, the transfer did go smoothly,
and so ultimately it’s fortunate that my
first big fatigue-related mistake amounted
to no more than a few unnecessary
phone calls and a healthy serving
of embarrassment.
But I wonder what might have
happened if my final job on that run
of night shifts had been something else.
Might I have misread an ECG and sent
a patient home with a STEMI? Might
I have made an arithmetic error and
prescribed a medication overdose?
As doctors, we of course have
responsibilities towards our patients,
and what we do can have significant
impact, positive or negative. Even as
interns, though many of our plans will
be made in consultation with more senior
doctors, we do come to make decisions
on our own, and increasingly more as the
year progresses. It is clear that among our
responsibilities is to recognise fatigue and
to seek help when needed. This experience
was a timely reminder of the impact
of fatigue.
At the same time, responsibility for
avoiding fatigue does not rest solely with
individual doctors. Unsustainable workloads
and unsafe staffing are clear drivers of
fatigue, and the junior doctor class action
lawsuits led by AMA Victoria and its
interstate counterparts have made this an
issue of public importance. The ruling in
favour of junior doctors in the first Victorian
class action has clearly demonstrated the
responsibility that health services have to
maintain safe workloads and staffing.
And it has made it acceptable – indeed,
a duty – for doctors to raise concerns
about workload, staffing and overtime.
It has been empowering, this year, to
see countless consultants, of all levels of
seniority and experience, across multiple
hospitals and departments, medical and
surgical, discussing workload and overtime
and standing up for junior doctors. I am
optimistic that, as we all support each
other and advocate for our colleagues and
our patients, we can leave unsustainable
workforce practices in the past and create
a safer future for our communities.
This experience
was a timely
reminder of the
impact of fatigue.
-
VI CD O C SPRI N G 202 3
65
