More than half of John Hunter Hospital junior doctors feel they have made fatigued induced errors as AMA NSW 2022 Hospital Health Check finds heavy workloads

Of the 74 doctors-in-training at John Hunter Hospital who participated in the 2022 Australian Medical Association NSW survey, 54 per cent felt they had made a mistake due to fatigue.

This was higher than the state average of 46 per cent.

The results, released on Monday, also showed that more than half - or 52 per cent - of the junior doctors at John Hunter Hospital reported a "heavy or very heavy" inpatient workload.

Less than 10 per cent of the doctors surveyed were satisfied with the amount of "pager-free" meal breaks, and 11 per cent felt they had access to quality food.

AMA NSW Doctors-in-Training Committee co-chair, Dr Sanjay Hettige, said the risk of human error increased with fatigue, and small mistakes such as medication errors or poor communication during handovers could have big ramifications.

"We had previously been asking whether they felt 'concerned' about making an error, and we wanted to know if people are actually thinking that they are making errors," Dr Hettige said.

"54 per cent is a pretty significant portion of doctors-in-training thinking that, and it relates back to the fact doctors are working longer hours in unsafe conditions. They feel when they are under the pump, they are more likely to make errors when they're so fatigued."

Dr Hettige said the COVID-19 pandemic had not just highlighted the pressure on junior doctors, it had made it "much worse". Staff furloughs had meant longer hours for doctors-in-training who were forced to cover shifts for sick colleagues. The survey results needed to be addressed for the health and welfare of junior doctors, but also the community. They were working "harder and longer", but under an award more than 30 years old.

"Airline pilots have stringent, safe working hours to make sure that they're flying passengers in the safest way possible - and I think we should be doing the same with our hospital system," Dr Hettige said.

The AMA (NSW) Hospital Health Check is an annual survey of doctors-in-training that looks at working conditions in hospitals across the state. This year, 1766 respondents responded to questions on rostering, overtime, leave and sick leave, unacceptable behaviour - such as bullying and discrimination, and facilities.

At Maitland Hospital, 62 per cent of 23 respondents felt they had a heavy or very heavy workload, 41 per cent were concerned about their health and safety, and 32 per cent felt they had made a fatigue-induced error.

At the Calvary Mater, 45 per cent of 23 respondents felt they had made a mistake due to tiredness, and 73 per cent were concerned about their health and safety in regards to their roster.

Professor Trish Davidson, executive director of medical services for Hunter New England Health, said despite the global health challenges of the pandemic, they had seen improvements in the AMA survey results across most facilities including Maitland, John Hunter, Manning and Tamworth hospitals.

"Facilities across Hunter New England Health performed on par with the rest of NSW and reflect more broadly the results in health facilities in comparable states, including Victoria and Queensland," she said.

"Improving the wellbeing of our junior doctors is something we've been focused on throughout 2022 and we thank our junior medical officers for sharing their honest feedback with the AMA.

"We continue to implement strategies to create a safe and supportive workplace for all staff, including the 2018 introduction of minimum 10-hour breaks between rostered shifts.

"We work hard to support wellbeing of our junior medical officers, however we recognise there

is always room for improvement.

"We participate in NSW Health state-wide initiatives regarding workplace culture, JMO health and wellbeing, and the Respectful Culture in Medicine Program."

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