Dr. Katharina Beckmann Honored With Walter Kowalski Award
Dr. Katharina BeckmannDecember 19, 2008
Katharina Beckmann, M.D. received the Walter Kowalski Achievement Award at our yearly holiday bash on December 12th, held this year at Nacional 27.
The award, given annually, was established in 1998 to recognize outstanding young residents in our department. Criteria for selection include residents who have just completed their CA-1 training year, outstanding scholarship, clinical competence, and exemplary demeanor and fellowship among his or her peers.
Congratulations Katharina!
New York Times Article Highlights Resident Work Hours Concerns
December 3, 2008
An article in the December 3rd issue of the New York Times summarized a new Institute of Medicine report recommending further reforms regarding resident duty hours. Current duty hour rules limit residents to an 80-hour workweek and 30-hour shifts. According to the article, “…the expert panel said those reforms were not enough. Caps on work hours are often not enforced, and many residents still do not get enough sleep, putting doctors and patients at risk for fatigue-related mistakes. While the new recommendations do not reduce overall working hours for residents, the report says no resident should work longer than a 16-hour shift, which should be followed by a mandatory five-hour nap period.” The article also said “the panel paid particular attention to the so-called patient handoff, the point at which a resident briefs the next doctor about a patient’s history and needs as he or she is ending a work shift. The handoff is a risky time for patients, because rushed and fatigued doctors often inadequately brief incoming staff members…”.
Our department has been at the forefront of the patient safety effort. Beginning in 2007, nearly all O.R. and Obstetric anesthesia faculty and resident first calls were limited to 12 hour shifts. The Friday evening resident first calls are from 2:00 PM until 7:00 AM, the only first call anesthesia shift currently greater than 12 hours. Regarding patient handoffs, Dr. David Mayer and Dr. Bernard ‘Bud’ Pygon’s Education and Training application to the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), entitled Facilitating Patient Safety in the Operating Room through Resident Handoff Training, was selected by the APSF Scientific Evaluation Committee for funding. Dr. Mayer and Dr. Pygon have since created an instructional training module and video to facilitate successful hand-off communications among anesthesia residents in the operating room. The instructional materials will be used to train residents in other residency programs as well.
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