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Thursday, May 21, 2009

The IOM speaks: mandatory nap time for house staff

The very name Institute of Medicine for reasons that have eluded me seems to mean to many a venerable assortment of very wise people who unlike the rest of the human race are able to act without personal bias or agenda and do what it right or as the myth goes act in the public interest. Their latest unfunded quasi-mandate is to mandate nap time for residents and for the ACGME to monitor the program,which I guess means make sure everyone gets their naps.

Thanks goodness, for a change, some one has the gumption, to at least, question the consequences of this IOM's pronouncement. This article in the NEJM dared to ask the questions:what would the cost be and what is the evidence that the suggestions would achieve their stated goals. The answers: It would cost a lot and the evidence of beneficial outcome is lacking.

The IOM which has been around since 1970 is a non-governmental organization that was chartered as part of the US National Academies of Science.

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