Why our Radiologists don’t work overnight 

Overwork and fatigue can have a negative impact on both radiologist wellbeing and patient care. Everlight Radiologists never work a night shift – protecting both the doctors who work for us, and the patients we serve 
"[There is] …a notable prevalence of burnout in the radiology specialty, with 8 of 10 individuals exhibiting positive results in at least one MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) subscale. This highlights the urgent need for interventions and support systems to protect the well-being of both trainees and practitioners and uphold the quality of patient care."

A Meta-analysis of Burnout in Radiology Trainees and Radiologists: Insights From the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 2023

Burnout in Medicine generally and Radiology in particular is a growing concern. The General Medical Council’s latest annual survey of the UK’s trainee doctors, published in July 2022 and based on responses from around 67,000 medics2, found that “the risk of burnout is now at its worst since it was first tracked in 2018” due to heavy workloads. 

Doctors are the cornerstones of our healthcare system, but what happens when those cornerstones are under intense pressure continually? Burnout, overwork, and fatigue are widespread issues among medical professionals, and the consequences are far-reaching. Not only does it impact their well-being, but it also jeopardizes patient safety. 

The 2023 Workplace Experiences Report from the GMC found that in 2022, more than two-fifths of doctors (44%) said they found it difficult to provide sufficient patient care at least once a week. This is a significant increase from 2021, when a quarter of doctors (25%) reported this, and more than 2019, when a third of doctors said this (34%). 

The impact of fatigue 

When doctors work long hours or through the night, they experience sleep deprivation. Research shows that this negatively impacts cognitive function. Reaction times slow, memory falters, and decision-making suffers. These are critical skills for a doctor, and when compromised, the risk of medical errors rises. 

One study comparing the accuracy of reporting during overnight assignments versus daytime assignments in CT studies found radiologists were 35 times more likely to make a mistake on the night shift, and even more frequently during the latter part of those night shifts. 

A review in BMJ Open highlights how fatigue contributes to diagnostic errors, medication mistakes, and even surgical complications. Exhaustion can also lead to decreased communication and empathy, hindering the crucial doctor-patient relationship. 

Always awake, always alert 

At Everlight, we take patient safety seriously – which is why we never ask our doctors to work a night shift. In fact, our over 600 Consultant Radiologists are located in every timezone across the world, and across every continent but Antarctica, meaning it’s always daylight somewhere in the Everlight world. Your 3am emergency scan could be reported by an Everlight Radiologist over their 11am coffee, ensuring a swift and safe service for our patients.  

 

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