Sir, – We write in support of those doctors who participated in a discussion on RTÉ’s Liveline throughout last week and on Prime Time (January 24th). They are all to be commended for speaking so openly on the reality of life as a junior doctor.
Many doctors in Irish hospitals are working shifts often in excess of 36 hours. Working such inhuman hours puts us at increased risk of harming patients in error, being in a road traffic accident, getting needle injuries and developing a mental illness.
Is there any surprise therefore that we, as a profession, are more at risk of becoming emotionally exhausted, depersonalised and suffering feelings of incompetence – in other words suffering burnout? Burnout, or “a state of vital exhaustion”, can be a factor in developing mental illness. We know that doctors are at higher risk of depression, suicide and alcohol and substance misuse or addiction. However nobody should be driven to the point of developing burnout or mental illness before seeking help; or have to work under a management structure that condones or at least turns a blind eye to doctors working such long hours.
The European Working Time Directive was implemented in Ireland in 2009. It states that no work shift should be longer than 24 hours. The experience of the doctors voiced in the media last week suggests that many doctors are working hours far in excess of that.
As a healthcare provider, the HSE encourages us all to look after our health. As an employer it should support the health of those it employs and allow no doctor to work a shift longer than 24 hours. – Yours, etc,