Safe Working Hours

Safe Working Hours is a campaign that unites healthcare workers and members of the public to make working hours safer for patients and safer for doctors.

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

New article about Extended Shifts (that's "calls", even though many people just work a 30 hour shift - hence extended shifts) as an occupational hazard:
https://t.co/BNhQmAfSdm

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

Especially when some are the current practices are dangerous and probably violate more than one law:
https://t.co/BNhQmAfSdm

[Ally(son) @AllyTheIronic]

I really don’t get the “I suffered and turned out fine, now so must you” crew.

Personally, I want new baby doctors to have every fulfilling experience I never had. I want them to dodge all the negative things I had to endure. We gotta evolve as a fraternity.

[Ally(son) @AllyTheIronic]

I really don’t get the “I suffered and turned out fine, now so must you” crew.

Personally, I want new baby doctors to have every fulfilling experience I never had. I want them to dodge all the negative things I had to endure. We gotta evolve as a fraternity.

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

Now, more than ever, we need to take an occupational hygiene approach to health worker safety. Read our article to find out how this applies to working hours for doctors: https://t.co/BNhQmAfSdm @HeleneMarivdW @HPCSA_ @SAMedicalAssoc @mark_sonderup

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

@HeleneMarivdW Even if the pilot has done it, "like a thousand times before and nothing went wrong"? Even if "we've always done it this way"? Even if the pilot wonders "how are the junior pilots going to learn"?

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

Hope that some of my public health & primary care heroes will also find this interesting: @klausvon @shrikantpeters @ProfMikeEnglish @KerrinBegg @ArneDelft @bartwillza @jvolmink @trishgreenhalgh @ChrisColButler

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

4/ Longest shift in the literature? 76 hours continuously. 😱😴That is madness, yet doctors in South Africa still frequently work dangerously long hours. The is your wake up call, medical profession. /End

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

3/ What should be done? Extended working hours should be seen as an occupational hazard, they should have a cap on maximum shift duration (suggest 16 hours), and we should mitigate the risk of fatigue (eg pre-call naps, lighting to sustain wakefulness)

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

2/ what happens on an uncapped, continuous shift? Doctors sustain more needlestick injuries, make medication & diagnostic errors and have 2.3 X increase risk of car crash on the way home See this ‘share your story’ video https://t.co/jpbvUYYsrK linked to the article

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

1/ Would you get on a plane with a pilot who has been awake for >24h? Probably not. Also regulations protect you. Why are the working hours of doctors different? Read our commentary featuring a case study of the South African @SafeWorkHours campaign here: https://t.co/JKuP9vXdY3

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

Doctors’ Extended Shifts as Risk to Practitioner and Patient: South Africa as a Case Study ##mdpiijerph via @IJERPH_MDPI @HPCSA_

[Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen @HeleneMarivdW]

Shout out to Koot for leading this effort, @eldivl @farahjawitz for collaborating, Prof Rodney Ehrlich for guidance, and the many junior doctors who have participated in the different phases of the @SafeWorkHours campaign 🏥

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

@HPCSA_ ethical rules should guide the profession. They have published numerous guidelines, but are mostly silent on working hour organization. When are we going to close this ethical guidance gap? #HPCSAConference2019 #safeworkinghours

[HPCSAConference @ConferenceHpcsa]

Ms Manya Van Ryneveld scrutinized the evolution of governance and stewardship in Human Resources for health #HPCSAConference2019

[HPCSAConference @ConferenceHpcsa]

In his presentation, Prof Binu Luke tackles the issue of Medical internship training in South Africa, 2020 and beyond. A transformational plan for health service delivery. #HPCSAConference2019

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

A lot of interest in #safeworkinghours and creating a multi-stakeholder platform for dicuss ways forward. People are waking up to the risk.
@hpcsa @hpcsaconference
#HPCSAConference2019

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

@KootKotze making the case for profession-wide working hour reorganization at the #HPCSAConference2019.
#safeworkinghours @HPCSA_ @hpcsaconference

[sadna balton🇵🇸🇿🇦 @SadnaBalton]

#HPCSA @ConferenceHpcsa health workers are expected to work in environments that are not conducive for ethical behavior - Dr Letlape

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

@HealthZA @HPCSA_
We need to talk about unsafe working hours. Don't kick the can. Speak up!
We're here to talk about #safeworkinghours at the #HPCSAConference2019.

[Safe Working Hours @SafeWorkHours]

@KootKotze asking a question about regulation of unsafe working hours to the deputy Director General @HealthZA
Response: A working hour cap has already been agreed upon.

?! We're all ears! but this would only be the first step in the conversation.
@HPCSA_ @hpcsaconference