Background and objective:

Assessing the effect of chronic sleep deprivation on essential neuropsychological tests, including executive functions for performance such as selective attention, inhibitory control, processing velocity, and working memory among internal medicine residents with chronic sleep deprivation in a highly demanding academic program

Methods:

We conducted a prospective study measuring neuropsychological performance among internal medicine postgraduate year 1 residents in Mexico City. The study was conducted from 2012 to 2013. We used Stroop test, as well as Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III) to evaluate executive functions. We performed neuropsychological assessments at the beginning of residency, and again 12 months after the baseline assessment.

Results:

Chronic sleep deprivation causes an alteration in selective attention, working memory, processing speed, and inhibition. This results in longer time to perform a task, as well as impaired attention during performance of a task

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that limiting the workload of residents and giving them longer off-duty hours would reflect on better and safer patient care. Nevertheless, it is still controversial that medical errors due to fatigue cause damages to patients.

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