Study finds sleep deprivation affects physician perception of patient pain

A recent international study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and researchers in Israel found that sleep-deprived doctors show less empathy for patient distress and that this impression affects their prescribing behaviours.

The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'. Pain management is a major challenge, and a doctor's perception of a patient's subjective pain is susceptible to bias.

The study demonstrated that night shift work is an important and previously unrecognized source of bias in pain management, likely stemming from impaired perception of pain.