There have been efforts to reduce hours worked by medical residents in recent years in order to avoid errors by fatigued physicians. Unfortunately, shortening doctors’ shifts has created a new problem: mistakes can be made when patients are handed off from one doctor to another.
The number of patient handoffs may be on the rise for many reasons besides just shortening shift time. Unfortunately, patients may pay the price as their care is split among doctors who do not have all of the information they need. 
If a medical mistake is made as a result of a handoff from one physician to another, the hospital or care facility may be held legally responsible for the consequences. The doctor who made the error may also be liable to the patient for damages. An experienced medical malpractice attorney in New York at Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC should be consulted for help in pursuing a medical negligence claim.
Doctor Handoffs are Dangerous
According to The Globe and Mail, several past studies in the United States and Canada have revealed that shorter shifts have caused a spike in handovers. Patients are now passed between doctors a minimum of seven times, as compared with three handoffs before new rules limiting work time.
Nearly half of all residents responding to a survey by the Canadian Association of Interns and Residents said that they had been involved in an adverse event caused by a handover. A review of 135 studies led by a researcher from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto also revealed that strict limits on shift hours have an adverse impact on patient safety. This research contrasts with an earlier review showing that reducing or eliminating shifts longer than 16 hours resulted in improved patient safety. However, the earlier review was not as comprehensive as only 23 studies were included.
Understanding the true impact of patient handoffs is important because, as the Claims Journal reports, patients are far less likely to be treated by a single medical professional today than in the past. This is a trend that extends not just to emergency rooms but to all care that a patient receives in a clinical setting. It is also a trend that is likely to be exacerbated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, or ObamaCare as it is sometimes called).
The doctor-patient relationship is becoming diluted as a result of aging baby boomers, rising demand for medical care, and aging physicians who may begin to prioritize quality of life rather than quantity of hours worked. As a result, more patients today are now seen by care teams and no longer have a single doctor who diagnoses their problem and who remains heavily involved through all phases of treatment.
The Claims Journal indicates that the shift to having multiple providers offering care with no one regular physician assisting the patient from beginning to end of treatment may cause medical malpractice claims to increase. This is bad news for patients, who deserve to have comprehensive care without mistakes caused by being handed off from caregiver to caregiver.
For more information about how a medical malpractice attorney in New York can help, contact Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC. Call 212-736-0979 or visit www.jcreiterlaw.com and schedule a free consultation today.