Night shift: less empathy for pain

Healthcare professionals appear to be less likely to prescribe pain medication at the end of a long shift from night. This is confirmed by a study that analyzed the differences from the beginning
shift. That study also made it possible to use stronger guidelines for prescribing more painkillers
focused on the patient’s pain needs.

Our premise is that night work is a significant and previously unrecognized source of pain management bias, possibly due to decreased pain perception. Even experienced doctors, who strive to provide the best care for their patients, are sensitive to the consequences of a night shift.

Anat Perry, a psychologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

The study looked at 31 doctors Israelis at the start of the shift. To the other 36 other doctors who
they were about to finish the 26-hour shift. The doctors who came out of the service assessed the pain of the
patients with less intensity. In fact, they were less likely to prescribe painkillers to make the pain go away. In short, it seems that the fatigue of the long night shift influences the pain experience of the patient. This changes the administration of the treatment they need.

The fact that the divergence of prescription painkillers from the general guidelines of the World Health Organization is greater during night shifts suggests that there is indeed underprescription during night shifts, rather than too much during the day.

David Gozal, a pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Missouri School of Medicine

The pain it is one of the main reasons a person goes to a doctor. As a symptom it should therefore:
are properly assessed and managed. The night shifts of the health personnel are included:
factors influencing the prescription of painkillers.