(Health Korea News / Park Won-jin) The government made a self-congratulatory announcement that there were no special problems in emergency rooms during the Chuseok holiday, but instead, a survey found that emergency medicine specialists suffered from a murderous work intensity that was “no different from being drunk and not being able to properly care for patients.” In particular, more than half of emergency medicine specialists said they intended to resign, suggesting that the current medical crisis could become even more serious.
The Korean Medical School Professors’ Association (KMAA) conducted a survey on emergency room work status during the Chuseok holiday period from September 19 to 20, 2024, in order to provide accurate information about the emergency room situation to the public. 89 emergency medicine specialists from 34 hospitals responded to this survey.
The Korean Medical Association explained, “Since the work and on-call schedules in the emergency room are shared among the specialists at each hospital, the results of this survey can be considered representative of the emergency rooms of 34 training hospitals, regardless of the number of respondents.”
The Korean Medical Association first asked about working hours for a week from September 13 to 20. As a result, 28 out of 89 people (31.5%) responded that they worked more than 48 hours. Nine people (10.1%) responded that they worked more than 64 hours, and three people (3.3%) responded that they worked more than 104 hours, which is beyond human limits.
In response to the question about the maximum continuous working hours, 62 people (69.7%) were found to have worked continuously for more than 12 hours, 15 people (16.9%) worked more than 16 hours, and 3 of them (3.3%) worked more than 36 hours.
The Korean Medical Association said, “Since work performance ability rapidly declines after 16 hours of waking up, it can cause serious problems for patient safety,” and “In particular, working 20 hours after waking up in the morning is the same as seeing patients while intoxicated.”
Below is a graph comparing the time of wakefulness after sleep and work performance. It is compared to the state of drunk driving (British standard) with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08. After waking up, 25-27 hours later, the work performance of a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 is achieved. After 16 hours after waking up, the work performance rapidly decreases, and after 20 hours, it becomes similar to a state of drunk driving. Continuous work until dawn is considered drunk work.
When asked about the intention to resign among emergency medicine specialists, 46 (51.7%) responded that they actually intend to resign. A whopping 55 (61.8%) responded that they intend to resign if the return of residents is not possible. This is a situation where the possibility of medical students and residents returning is almost zero, and it shows the seriousness of the current situation.
The Korean Medical Association said, “We do not believe at all that the current medical crisis will improve in the future as the government boasts,” and “The policies that the government announces every day are nothing more than stopgap measures, and it is clear that the people will be burdened even more in the future.”
He continued, “The emergency room crisis we are experiencing now is not the end of the medical crisis, but a case that clearly shows that the medical crisis is slowly progressing,” and asserted, “The emergency medical crisis will become more serious in the future, and it is clear that problems will arise in intensive care units and other treatment facilities.”
The Korean Medical Association stated, “Nevertheless, many specialists and professors at training hospitals are making every effort to maintain essential medical services, including emergency medicine, and to prevent harm to patients because they expect residents and students to return to hospitals and schools.”
However, the Korean Medical Association expressed concern, saying, “This unstable situation can no longer be maintained, and the medical staff in the field know this fact only too well,” and “The government’s lack of communication, incompetence, and irresponsible medical policies will cause not only residents and students, but even specialists to leave hospitals and schools.”
He urged, “Instead of chasing an illusion of what will happen 10 years from now, the reality of which is unclear, the government should acknowledge the reality of the medical collapse that we are currently experiencing and that is approaching, and show a responsible attitude toward finding a solution.”
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Source: www.hkn24.com
