Hospital night shifts severely lacking

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The differences between being treated at a hospital at night and during the day often can be daunting, the Wall Street Journal's health blog points out. Not only is the quality care not as high during the night, but there usually are fewer professionals at a patient's discretion. The blog references an article in the New England Journal of Medicine by David Shulkin, president and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, who recently took his senior management team on a tour of the midnight shift at his facility. Shulkin believes that "We should be establishing equal standards for staffing and service and striving for acceptable outcomes for every hour of the week," and said that his midnight stroll wasn't meant to catch people doing anything wrong, but more to bring attention to an area of concern.

To learn more:
- read the blog
- here's the New England Journal of Medicine article

Midnight Shift

Hospital night shifts severely lacking