On average, fellows worked 69 hours a week (mean shift duration 25.5 hours), received 41 pages seeking their services, walked 6.9 km and slept 1.9 hours. The authors also found that ketonuria (a marker for dehydration) affected residents in 21% of the 33 shifts during which it was measured.
In a related commentary, Drs. Steven Howard and David Gaba discuss whether the current limitations on residents' hours of work are sufficient to ensure physician and patient safety.
p. 965 Fellowship training, workload, fatigue and physical stress: a prospective observational study -- C.S. Parshuram et al
p. 975 Trainee fatigue: are new limits on work hours enough? -- S.K. Howard, D.M. Gaba
Canadian Medical Association Journal